Total Drama Island: A New Beginning
by Argudas
Summary: A new take on the season that started it all as inspired by The Kobold Necromancer and others. Will Heather control the game? Will Justin merely be a pretty face? Will our favorite Noah-it-All use those highly vaunted smarts? Is Chris' ego for real? Are these questions here just to throw you off? Five challenges completed. Not NoCo.
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama or any of the characters therein. I do own everything else in existence though...

Couples:*Looks at reader with raised eyebrow before breaking out in laughter* Like I am going to spoil the fun and tell you. Just don't make any assumptions based on what you read: trolling is an art form. All I will say is that there will be some cannon and some fannon. Likely more of the later.

Author's note: This is my first stab at writing fanfiction. Hopefully it all goes well. But before we get this party started, a few shout outs are in order. I could not type another word without acknowledging the patron saint of total drama fiction, the great Kobold Necromancer. His many works have been most inspirational. Other noteworthy names include Strix Moonwing whose Candy For Your Thoughts was brilliant (I read it all in one day, no regrets) and quite moving, Lord Akiyama whose Total Drama Academy is an enjoyable change of pace from the usual reality show setting and, along with Total Drama Action Redux, stay far truer to the characters than the show itself has, and, last but not least, Winter-Rae who has made pairings I would never have dreamed of seem just as if not more natural than cannon. There are other I could mention, but I don't want to take a whole page to go through everyone and I doubt I could name them all. I will certainly make sure to mention other authors as I remember them.

* * *

Chapter 1: **Beginning Are Such Delicate Times**

* * *

The Sun was just beginning to begin its daily climb into the sky. As its rays shot across the ocean, the island of Wawanakwa began to take shape. All around the island, squirrels played, little birdies sang, and even the bears seemed peaceful. How blissfully unaware they were of what was to come…

Several hours later, a man in his mid-twenties stood on a small wooden dock meticulously smoothing his hair in a hand held mirror. He quickly tossed it aside as the intern working the camera gave him a thumbs up.

"Greetings viewing world, and welcome to what will soon become the greatest reality sensation to hit Canada," the man began, all the while an excessively toothy grin stretched across his face. "I'm your host, Chris Maclean and we will soon be joined by 22 intrepid teenagers as they compete for $1,000,000 and the cheesy fame that will certainly result.

"Our talent scouts have been scouring the far reaches of Canada to find the craziest, the most disturbing, the most fame hungry contestants possible to make sure you, the viewer, get to enjoy the maximum drama possible."

"I am now standing on the Dock of Shame where, once every three days, someone will be shamefully kicked off never to return, with all hope of the $1,000,000 gone for good."

Chris then started walking towards the camp and the picture switched to that of two small cabins which both looked on the verge of collapse.

"Our campers will be staying here," Chris gestured, letting a smirk sneak onto his face for only a moment before plastering his copyrighted smile on once more, "Quite different from the five star hotel we promised. But this is only the first of **many** pleasant surprises these campers will experience for your benefit."

Once more the scene shifted, now Chris sat in a small outhouse. "And, of course, the confessional. This would not be much of a reality show without giving the contestants the chance to air their dirty laundry. I am sure that, like me, you cannot wait to hear what they have to say."

The scene shifts back to the Dock of Shame. "Who will win, who will lose, and who walk away with the million dollar check? Find out all this and more on Total Drama Island!"

*cue theme*

From behind the camera, the intern started pointing to his watch.

"It seems the first of our campers is about to arrive." The sound of an approaching boat could soon be heard as it pulled up to the dock. Off stepped a teen in a red sweater worn over a blue collared shirt, his dark brown eyes sweeping back and forth along the dock, taking in every detail. A large smirk formed on his face as he walked by Chris without saying a word.

"Noah." Chris growled, annoyed at being ignored on public television.

"Well well, looks like 10 bucks are mine already," Noah said under his breath, and then he added a little louder. "I cannot believe I signed up for this."

He walked to the end of the dock, put down his luggage, and pulled out a thick book along with a pencil which he twirled in his fingers looking utterly bored while he waited for the next camper.

Suddenly a load cheer echoed across the island. "Woohoo! This is awesome!" A large blonde teen was the next to step onto the Dock of Shame and from the sounds it produced it might give way at any moment.

"Owen, my man!" Chris replied with a large smile, "glad to see someone is happy to be here." Chris glared once more at Noah.

Owen saw Noah and ran over, taking the bookworm's head under his arm and then sweeping his other arm out towards the rest of the island, "how could anyone not be excited to be here? This is going to be so…"

"Awesome?" Noah said, rolling his eyes. Despite his annoyance, he could not suppress a small smile at the jolly teen's antics.

"See, now you're getting the hang of it. Woohoo!" Owen cheered, clearly oblivious to the sarcasm oozing from the bookworm.

"You have stolen my spotlight for long enough," Chris said in an annoyingly high whine, "it's time to meet out next contestant."

At these words, a very annoyed goth stepped off the boat. "So, we're staying here?" Gwen moaned. "I did not sign up for this."

"Actually, you did." Chris said with an evil light in his eye as he pulled out her contract. Gwen looked at the document that must have been at least 50 pages longer than she remembered and desperately wanted to rip it up. She realized, though, that it would be impossible to rip that many pages at once so she just sighed loudly in resignation and walked to the end of the dock where the other two campers stood.

"Welcome to Hell," Noah said with his characteristic smirk.

Gwen just rolled her eyes but couldn't help but grin darkly at the book Noah was reading. "That seems appropriate."

"What can I say, I have got to be prepared to live under constant surveillance this summer." Noah replied.

"Camera back here please, thank you." Chris whined.

But before Chris could continue, he was interrupted by loud, upbeat music coming from the next boat. As it pulled up to the dock, a tall, blonde haired teen in an open pink shirt and shorts jumped off the boat.

"Chris Mclean, it's an honor to meet you man," the part animal began, tipping his cowboy had towards the host, "been looking forward to this since I was chosen, man."

"Geoff, my man," Chris replied, slightly miffed that he was cut off but glad to see another contestant who was excited to be on the show, "good to see you. I…"

"It's gonna be awesome, man." Geoff jumped into the air and let out a cheer which was quickly echoed by Owen. Geoff ran over and gave the large teen a high five. "I see someone else is ready to par-tay! This is going to be awesome, man!" The two cheered once more, oblivious to the glares coming from the other two teens on the dock.

"Are you done yet?" Noah said though he was drowned out by Owen and Geoff's cheers. "Any year now would do." He muttered under his breath.

Gwen looked equally annoyed, adding, "If he says 'man' one for time, I'm gonna puke."

"Enough!" Chris shouted, "You teens are hell-bent on steeling MY camera time!" He quickly calmed down and turned back to face the camera, his smile-mask on once more. "Our next camper, surfer girl Bridgette is here."

"Hi guys." The blue hoody clad teen stepped onto the dock, surfboard in hand, scanning the group standing in front of her. "What's up?"

Geoff bounded forward with a wide smile spread across his face. "Hey, I'm Geoff."

"Hey." Bridgette replied, turning to face him. In doing so, her surfboard swept around and nearly knocked Geoff off the dock and only narrowly avoiding the other campers. "Oh, sorry. I'm a bit clumsy."

"You don't say." Noah said to himself. Unfortunately his voice carried farther than anticipated and earned him several glares.

Before Chris could but in to introduce the next contestant, rock music began to blare from the next boat, causing Chris and the contestants to cover their ears. As the boat came to a stop, a green Mohawk sporting teen jumped off, bag in hand, and gave a quick glance around the camp. He turned towards Chris, holding up his fist menacingly.

"I don't. Like. Surprises." Duncan growled.

"So your parole officer warned me. He also said I can call him anytime to send you straight back to juvie." Chris replied, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Duncan just rolled his eyes before walking towards the other campers, stopping next to Bridgette with a sadistic scowl on his face. "Nice board."

Before she could reply, the punk had knocked the board out of her hands and sent it skidding down the dock towards Chris who neatly sidestepped it. The next contestant was not so lucky.

"Alright, I see the ladies…" Cody's sly (or so he thought) introduction was cut short as the surf board knocked him off his feet and into the water. To his chagrin, he could hear a loud laugh coming from one of the guys and stifled giggles from the rest. With some difficulty, he managed to scramble back onto the dock, looking significantly less smooth and collected than he had a moment before, and grabbed the board.

"Whose is this?" The geek asked, looking at the others, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

When he saw the blond surfer walking towards him with a look of concern on her face, all traces of anger quickly disappeared.

"I'm sorry about that," She began, glaring at Duncan who had nearly fallen over laughing.

"Oh, it's ok. I could never hold a grudge against a pretty lady." Cody replied with a wide, gaped tooth grin and a wiggle of the eyebrows. Bridgette couldn't help but giggle at the sheer silliness of the expression on Cody's face.

"Move it along Casanova." Came Chris' reply as he pushed the two back towards the far end of the dock. "And now for our next…"

"Hiiii." Came a light, airy voice.

"Lindsay…" Chris fumed. He was getting tired of being repeatedly cut off. His smile quickly returned as he, along with all the male contestants, admired the blond bombshell. "Not too shabby," Chris whispered to the camera.

"Ok, you look so familiar…" Lindsay trailed off as her poor brain worked overtime to remember the host's name.

"I'm Chris Mclean." Chris began. When he still got a blank stare, he continued, "the host of the show."

"Oh, right, Kyle." Lindsay replied, still looking confused. "Of course I know who you are."

She walked towards the other contestants and, after placing her luggage in the pile, turned around to face Chris, all the while oblivious to the looks she was getting from the others. Gwen had her face in her hand, Noah's characteristic smirk looked even wider than usual (if that were possible), Cody and Geoff couldn't help but stair with jaws slightly agape, Bridgette and Owen just smiled their customary friendly smiles, and Duncan had a rather disturbingly perverted look on his face.

At that moment, the horn on the next boat began to sound off. "And the next contestant is…Tyler!" Chris exclaimed.

The red suited jock was skiing behind his boat and took one hand off the handle to wave at those on the dock. As a result, he quickly lost his balance and somehow managed to fly through the air, landing in the pile of luggage next to the other contestants.

"I think a physicist just died somewhere." Noah noted with eyebrow raised. Cody nodded in agreement.

"Wicked wipe out man!" Chris called over.

The jock gave the host a thumbs up as he extracted himself from the luggage. Before he could finish, he glanced over at the other contestants and went slack jawed at the sight of Lindsay. While dazed, he managed to trip over the luggage and fall flat on his face. Even those who had been politely avoiding laughter couldn't help it now. Owen and Cody gave Tyler a hand in getting up and even the jock had to laugh at himself.

Chris would have been annoyed at the amount of time the camera was not focused on him, but Tyler's continuous fumbles where sure to bring in the ratings. He had been picked for his klutziness after all.

"Anyways," the host began, finally restraining his laughter, "out next contestant is…Beth."

As he said her name, the contestants all turned to look at the newest contestant who had a large, toothy grin on her face. She quickly ran up and gave Chris a big hug. "Oh my gosh it's so incredulouth to meet you. Wow, you're much shorter in real life." Beth then walked over to the other contestants, who for the most part smiled back, while waving at the camera, completely unaware of the look received from Chris.

"Thanks…." To say Chris looked weirded out would be an understatement, but he quickly applied his insta-smile (just add ego) and looked back towards the next boat.

Before he even announced the name, the other contestants would have all sworn the temperature dropped noticeably. Their fears were confirmed when a tall, raven haired girl stepped onto the dock. They could not see her eyes behind the sunglasses she wore, but they could feel her searing gaze sweep back and forth across them. Some like Lindsay, Beth, and Owen seemed ready to cower in fear while other like Gwen, Duncan, and Noah just returned the gaze without blinking.

"Heather…" Chris had a wide grin on his face. This was exactly why she was selected for the show.

Heather said nothing as she strutted over to the other contestants. Beth put on a large smile and glomped the taller girl causing both of them to go spilling off into the water.

"Thorry about that." Beth apoligized as soon as the two surfaced, "Lookths like we're your new friendths for the next eight weeks!"

The look of absolute horror and disgust on Heather's face, along with the fact that she was soaking wet, caused many of the teens still standing on the dock to chuckle. Before any of them could help either of the girls, a long, lanky arm reached down towards the queen bee.

"Need a hand, m'lady?" Heather was glad for any hand at the moment, but as soon as she was out of the water and saw who was helping her, she pulled back and held out her hand like it was diseased.

"Eww, eww, eww! Nerd germs." All she got in response to this outburst was a large grin from the red headed nerd next to her.

"It is an honor to be of service." He said, bowing before helping Beth out of the water.

He picked up his suitcase and headed towards the others. As soon as he put his things down, he finally took a good look around and, unlike most of his fellow campers, seemed pleased to be at Wawanakwa.

"Yes! This place is so much more favorable to my skills." Harold wheezed, earning questioning looks from his fellow contestants.

Christ too seemed a little disturbed but he quickly shook it off to welcome the next contestant or, in this case, two contestants. From the latest boat came an ear rending sound.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" All the contestants on the dock covered their ears and looked with annoyance at the two pink clad girls emerging from their boat.

"Sadie, look, oh my gosh, it's a real summer camp." Katie shouted with glee pointing at the cabins.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Sadie replied almost instantly.

Before they could start making any more high pitched sounds, Chris took action. "Ladies! Katie, Sadie. Or was it the other way around? Anyways, please stand over there with the others."

After letting out another ear-rending squeal, the pink-clad due ran over to the other cast members.

The next camper to arrive was quite the opposite of the previous two. She carried a large blue duffle, the weight of which caused the dock to tremble almost as much as Owen's girth had. Without saying a word, she walked over to the other campers and dropped her bag down onto an unfortunate Cody's foot. As he held it up in pain he managed to lose his balance and fall into the water yet again.

Without a second thought, Bridgette reached down to pull Cody back up. Her clumsiness, and the excessive slipperiness of the dock, however, once again got the better of her and she too fell in.

Duncan couldn't help but snicker at this and started to elbow the jolly blonde giant next to him. "Looks like Malibu is already falling head over heels for the little wimp."

This elicited a chuckle from the surrounding campers, glares from Bridgette and Cody, and a light blush from the geek. After much laughter at their expense, Owen helped pull Bridgette and Cody out. Tyler offered his assistance as well, but Cody noted they did not need a third person to fall off the dock.

Chris chuckled quietly to himself, glad he had coated the edge of the dock with grease. "And now for out next contestant…DJ."

At these words, a large African-Canadian teen walked off his boat, a large duffle in each hand.

"Yo, Chris Mclean," the gentle giant started to give a high to the host but stopped mid-way when he took a look around the camp. When he saw the dilapidated shacks dubbed "cabins" and the distinct lack of a five star hotel, he turned back to the host with a look of betrayal. "Um, you sure this is the right place? Where's the hot tub at?"

Chris, after a quick recovery from the missed high five, simply smiled. "Yo, dog this is it, Camp Wawanakwa!"

"Looked a lot different on the application." DJ mumbled as he went to join his fellow campers who greeted him with warm smiles and high fives.

Chris could not have been happier; he lived off this kind of pain. But he had to keep the ball rolling. "And now for our next contestant…"

"Hey yall, Leshawna in the house," exclaimed the large sister. She walked down the dock with a determined glint in her eye. "I hope you're all ready to lose, cause I came to win." She stopped next to DJ and gave him a high five. "What's up my brother, this is gonna be one fun party."

"Party! Woohoo!" yelled Geoff who seemed to be even more excited than normal. She couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

"You've had your camera time already, Geoff." Chris noted with annoyance, "My turn again. And now," Chris added with a sweeping gesture, "it's time for contestant number 18, Trent."

Like so many of the others before him, the musician walked off his boat when he heard his name and walked over to the host.

"Chris, it's nice to meet you man." Trent said, a warm smile across his face. "I saw you on that skating show, nice work."

If there was one thing Chris loved almost as much as himself, it was compliments about himself. "Thanks man, I knew I rocked that show!"

Trent turned to look at his fellow campers. He liked the look of several campers, but his eyes were continuously drawn to a goth barely visible behind the crowd of people in front of her. He quickly walked over to her side, gently pushing several people out of the way. Gwen saw him coming and quickly turned her head away, eyes facing the ground. Trent was somewhat disheartened by this, so he just stood next to her without saying anything.

The next boat did not even stop. It just sped by with the next contestant left in its wake standing on the dock with his luggage. Chris seemed to take this complete absence of physics in his stride and reapplied his grin.

"Our next camper…Ezekiel. What's up?"

The toque wearing teen seemed more than a little confused at such an obvious question. "Um, that seems like a silly question, eh? It's obvious what is up."

Chris just stared unblinking, not sure how to respond. He was not sure whether that exchange made himself or the prairie boy look more ridiculous. Most of the other campers were also unsure of what to make of the homeschooler's reply. Noah was one of the few to show any response, but his smirk was directed more at Chris' inability to speak.

When he got no response, the teen in green realized he must have said the wrong thing and pulled his toque down over his eyes as he sulked to the end of the dock, somehow managing to find a spot separated from the others.

Still unsure of what to make of the latest contestant and questioning his choice to include the prairie boy, Chris barely acknowledged the girl waving her hand in front of his face.

"Hello in there? Anyone home? Chris? Chris? Hi Chris!" came a loud voice.

Finally snapping out of his shock and plastering on his normal smile, Chris greeted the next contestant. "And this, everyone, is Izzy."

The red headed girl quickly began waving at her fellow contestants and started spouting off a stream of consciousness, "This is summer camp. That is so cool. Do you have paper Mache here? Are we having lunch soon?"

Without giving Chris a chance to respond, she bounded over to the other campers. Noticing Ezekiel standing by himself with his toque still covering his eyes, she snuck up behind him and snatched his headwear before running off towards shore cackling all the way.

It took Ezekiel a moment to realize what had happened, but as soon as he did, he sprinted after the red head.

"Give it back." He shouted after her as he turned a bright shade of red. Unfortunately for him, he slipped on the greased dock and fell flat on his face.

When Izzy heard him fall, she stopped running and stood by his head.

"No naps allowed! You ain't getting your cute headwear back that easily." When all she got in reply was a moan from the prone form before her, she pouted and crossed her arms. "Aww, your no fun!"

Out of all the questions Izzy had asked, Owen had predictably picked up on the one key word amongst all the others.

"When is lunch, Chris?" the plus size teen inquired while holding his stomach.

"Soon enough, Owen my man, soon enough." Chris' trademark grin started to look a little more demonic than usual at these words but it quickly went back to normal. "Only two more contestants to go. And here comes the next: Courtney."

As the next boat came to a stop, Chris, in an uncharacteristically chivalristic manner, gave the mocha skinned girl a hand onto the dock.

She walked over to the other contestants with a smile on her face, quickly sizing them up. It seemed to her like a simple group of stereotypes: the goth, the party boy, the surfer chick, the jock, the oversized lovable oaf, etc. There was even a Mohawk sporting delinquent who was giving her awfully dirty looks nearly causing Courtney to visibly shiver. She felt confident in her ability to win the game and beat her competition, though she betrayed none of these thoughts.

"Hi, you must be the other contestants. It's nice to meet you all." She said with the smile that had helped her become class president. As she continued to scan the crowd of her fellow contestants, the CIT noticed the book that Noah was reading and couldn't help but smile to herself at the irony.

"Paranoid much?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

For a single moment, Noah did not have his characteristic smirk on his face, impressed that she had managed to observe him in the back of the crowd. His smirk quickly returned.

"We are on a reality television show being recorded at all times. Big Brother **is** watching." With these final words he jerked his thumb in Chris' general direction as a large smirk returned to his face.

The CIT just rolled her eyes but before she could respond she heard the sweet sound of the prettiest music imaginable floating across the waves. She was not the only one, though. The entire cast was looking at the final boat coming across the waves. All the females looked on slack jawed and most of the males had a warm smile on their faces as the most gorgeous teen in existence landed on the dock.

Even the king of narcissism himself, Chris Mclean, could not help but admire the beautiful sight. "Justin, welcome to the island." Chris began, giving the model a fist bump.

"Thanks Chris, it's great to be here." Justin replied, his soothing voice causing all those that heard it to smile even more than they already were.

"Just so you know," Chris informed the male model, "we picked you based entirely on your looks."

Justin's smile just broadened as he started walking towards his fellow campers. "I can live with that." No one was sure how, but it almost seemed like he winked at each of the girls at the same time causing them all to swoon.

But this was all the time that Chris was going to allow the camera to be away from him. "Alright campers, before we head to camp for the tour, I want you all to head to the other end of the dock for a promo picture."

The dock started to wobble ominously as the contestants started to pile up near the edge of the dock. After several failed attempts to correctly operate a camera, Chris was finally ready.

"Alright everyone, say Wawanakwa."

"Wawanak…" the cast began to say before the dock gave way underneath them.

Chris just chuckled at their plight and called out, "Go ahead and dry off. I seem to have misplaced the team lists but I will call you all to the campfire pit as soon as I have found it."

At this, most of the soggy campers walked towards the cabins, muttering curses under their breaths. Ezekiel took off after Izzy, who still clutched his toque tightly.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Noah: *He is still reading 1984 and briefly glances at the camera* "There really is not much to say. This place is going to be hell. But I am confident that my smarts will win this." *He glances down for a moment with a sad look on his face and sighs loudly* "I wonder if their even watching this." *The expression only lasts a second before he resumes reading with his trademark smirk*

Justin: *He just sits there for 5 minutes admiring himself in a handheld mirror before winking at his reflection. He hears giggling coming from outside the door and peeks through a crack. He then lets out an annoyed sigh, slaps on a smile that would make Chris proud, and steps outside to the squeals of several girls.*

Cody: *His goofy sly grin is even larger than normal* "So many fine ladies to choose from. When the Codmiester pulls out his charm, they won't know what hit them."

* * *

Cody sat on a stump at the camp fire next to Noah who was scribbling in the margins of his book. The bookworm was trying to ignore the jolly blonde giant next to him but was having a hard time.

"Man, this is going to be great, all these chicks to wow with my handsome self." Cody began, talking as much to himself as to Noah. "That goth chick Gwen is really hot and that surfer Bridgette is pretty good looking too. What do you think Noah?"

"I am just glad you did not mention Lindsay," Noah began after a pause, smirking at the geek's enthusiasm, "I don't really know enough about any of them to judge but I can say that there seem to be far too few intelligent people in this game."

"That seems a little harsh, dude." Cody replied. "Lindsay may not be the brightest girl around, but she certainly seems like a nice person." A sly-ish grin appeared on his face. "And that is before you consider her other 'assets'."

"Yeah, Noah." Owen but in, elbowing the bookworm. "No need to be so glum."

"Perhaps, but that is just who I am." Noah said thoughtfully. "I doubt I could put up with someone that dumb all the time no matter how well endowed she is." The bookworm gave Cody a disapproving look.

"So you're telling me that if Lindsay was crushing on you, you would not go out with her?" There was not a hint of belief in the geek's voice.

"I would like to believe I had enough control over myself to say no. Such an unequal matching of wits would not suit us in the long run."

"Yeah, she is much too nice for a guy like you." Cody replied with a smirk of his own.

"Whatever. I am sure there is some guy out there who will get over the gag reflex and put up with her. You would need several mops to wipe up all the drool on the dock."

Several loud squeals could be heard nearby, much to the annoyance of all who heard them. In the distance, Justin could be seen walking around the camp followed closely by Lindsay, Beth, Katie, and Sadie who all had drugged expressions on their faces with mouths slightly agape. Following a short distance behind the drooling conga line came Tyler, stealing a glance at Lindsay at every opportunity (and managing to trip over every possible obstacle in his path).

Noah noticed that Owen had the same pleasantly oblivious expression on his face and gave the jolly teen a slap to the head, snapping him out of his daze. The bookworm decided a change of topic was in order. "Tell me, have you ever played Mass Effect?"

The tech geek's eyes lit up at this question. "Always nice to meet another Shepherd fan."

They continued to discuss other topics of mutual interest, even drawing Owen in to some conversations (though he just seemed happy to be there), for at least half an hour. "Gentlemen," Noah said with a genuine smile on his face, "I think this is the beginning of an interesting friendship."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Cody: "I can see why many people are put off by Noah. He has sarcasm down to an art form. I do wonder if he is really as cynical as he seems. Seems many of us here wear masks." *Cody suddenly realizes what he said* "Not that **I** am wearing any masks of course. Just wait till all the chicks here fall for me. I bet I can outdo that model. Just wait and see."

Noah: "At school I have found that it is wasted effort to even try to be friends with most, but Cody and I share quite a few interests and Owen, well, it would take a truly heartless person to hate him."

Heather: *She has been ranting about all the contestants for quite some time now* "And that Owen is disgusting. In the short time we were on the dock, he managed to fart more times than I can count. I hate him." *She continues to rant for a good long while*

* * *

At another part of camp, Gwen sat against a tree, diary in hand, occasionally glancing around to make sure nobody was watching. From where she sat she could see the beach where DJ, Geoff, and Leshawna were dancing to the music of the party animal's boom box. A ways out from shore, Gwen could just make out Bridgette catching some waves.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Gwen: "Well, this camp seems as bad as I thought it would be. I guess since I'm here I might as well try to win." *She sighs* "I don't know about the people here. That Heather is going to be a pain in the ass for whichever team she is on." *She chuckles grimly* "I just hope it's not my team." *She looks away from the camera and sighs* "I could tell that that musician Trent was trying to hit on me. He seems nice enough, but I have little faith in 'nice guys'."

* * *

The sound of ragged wheezing drew Gwen's attention from her writing. She saw Harold creeping through the underbrush nearby, rapidly darting from one hiding spot to another. She quickly closed her diary and stared at him.

"What are you doing?" Gwen inquired, disturbed at the nerds actions.

The lanky teen had apparently not seen her and jumped a little at her voice but quickly calmed down.

"Hiding. Ever since we left the dock, that idiot Duncan has been making me miserable. First he dumped my luggage into the water then hid most of my underwear. The only break I've had is when he has been stalking the CIT."

"What CIT?"

Harold couldn't hide a smile. "You must be the only person here who has yet to hear Courtney's spiel. You would think CIT was her last name the way she introduces herself."

Gwen just groaned in response to this latest information and let her head fall into her lap. At the same time, a nearby bush rustled and a green mohawk could be seen moving above it like the fin of a shark. Harold gulped audibly then darted away as fast as he could.

Duncan was about to give chase when he was run down by a cackling flash of green and red followed closely by another flash of green.

"Did someone get that guys number?" was all the dazed punk could let out before collapsing.

Trent sat on the edge of the Dock of Shame, strumming his guitar. He had enjoyed spending the last hour talking with his fellow campers. All except the one he wanted to talk to the most. He had seen Gwen earlier writing in her diary and the musician thought it would be best if he left her alone for the time being.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Trent:"Man, I hope I can get through to Gwen. I know some goths back at school that are generally depressed and have low self-esteem but I feel like she is different, you know? I don't want to ruin any chance I have by moving too fast though." *He looks downcast* "I just hope this doesn't drive me crazy." *He begins to lightly hit his forehead with his palm* "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine."

* * *

Trent heard footsteps coming towards him and quickly masked his thoughts. He turned around to see the brunette CIT standing behind him with a hand outstretched.

"I wanted to officially introduce myself, Trent." Courtney began, looking like a politician at a rally, "It's always nice to meet a fellow musician."

Despite thinking a hand shake was to formal for the occasion, Trent obliged, barely able to contain a chuckle at her excessively professional attitude. "Really, what do you play?"

"Violin mostly," she started, sitting down next to him after giving a quick glance over her shoulder, "I learned a few other instruments but I don't enjoy them nearly as much."

"I hope we get a chance to hear you play sometime." A smile formed on Trent's face. "You still haven't properly introduced yourself. But I remember your name, Courtney, so we can skip that. Tell me about yourself."

Happy as always for a chance to list her many accomplishments, she began counting off fingers. "Well, I am a CIT, I am the youngest student president at my school ever, I…"

"Um, not that a list of your accomplishments isn't impressive, but that is not really what I asked for." Trent interrupted.

Courtney was stunned at the interruption for a moment but her expression quickly changed to one of annoyance. "What is that supposed to mean. I was telling you about myself before you so rudely interrupted."

"You were giving me a list of accomplishments anyone could have read off of your application. I am more interested in getting to know my fellow campers as people."

"Oh. You're the first person here to ask me that. So far everyone else has been content to listen to my list of skills that will certainly come in handy in this competition." Courtney's voice began to get louder as she continued to speak and her eyes narrowed to slits "What is your angle on this? We might not even be on the same team."

"So?" Trent began, thrown off by the hostility of her response "The teams only mean so much anyways. Not sure why you're so suspicious." Trent sighed. "And, you dodged my question again. I can see why politics interests you."

Courtney quickly stood up and crossed her arms. "Whatever. I doubt your team will appreciate divided loyalties." She then stormed back to shore, heading towards the campgrounds.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Trent: "That was one of the more…interesting conversations I have had today. Cannot remember the last time being polite was suspicious."

Courtney: *Fuming* "I am not going to give anyone personal information that could be used against me. I can see through Trent and his 'nice guy' facade. If he ends up on my team, he better not associate with the other team or I will see to it personally that he gets the boot."

* * *

Sometime later, a shadowy figure approached the confessional but stopped before entering. This person saw a slip of paper lying on the ground labeled "Teams" and couldn't help but grin wickedly at the opportunity presented.

Meanwhile, Heather sat on the steps of one of the cabins filing her nails. She scowled at the thought of all the losers she would have to put up with on the island.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Heather: *She rolls her eyes at the camera* "This game is going to be so easy, it won't even be fun. A bunch of idiot girls who will blindly follow whoever leads them, a model who seems no smarter than those idiots who fawn over him, a fart machine who would probably sell out his best friends for a slice of cake, a weird goth girl, a surfer chick with a personality as deep as a puddle, a 'ladies' man' geek…"

*She breaks out into a harsh laugh for several minutes. She finally gets control of herself*

"Anyways, there are some intelligent people here, but I am not worried. That bookworm Noah is seriously lazy and will likely drive others away with his sarcasm to boot. That CIT could be a problem but I have seen her type before. They always act incredibly bossy and drive others away and since she is not nearly as ruthless as me, she will never be in control of the game. Her team will vote that looser off fairly quickly." *She continues ranting for several minutes, outlining her views of the other contestants in the same manner."

* * *

The queen bee was about to walk away when she noticed a slip of paper by her feet. She picked it up and read the message. All that could be picked up by the cameras were a handful of comments from Heather.

"Why would I work with any of these losers? I don't need any help to win this! This game is mine" With these words, the queen bee crumpled the paper and threw it into a nearby trash can.

A short time later, Chris noticed the missing list lying on the ground just outside his trailer and examined it, curious as to how he had not noticed it before, but remained unaware of the changes. The host reached for a nearby mike and informed the campers that the list had been found and they should all report to the campfire pit immediately.

* * *

**End Notes**

* * *

Hopefully everyone was fairly in character. Rest assured things will get more interesting now that the introduction is done and every character will get some attention before the first elimination. Please leave your critiques.


	2. Chapter 2: Fear

Disclaimer: The ownership of the Total Drama franchise is not in any way shape or form mine. Pity...

Authorial Notations: I was hoping to make the story's main characters Chris and Chris' ego, but, for some reason, that is not an option. Someone needs to fix this ASAP. *Cue laugh track* Thanks to all of you who left reviews, they are most encouraging!

On another note, I have tried using l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l to designate a scene change not facilitated by a confessional. Hopefully it's pretty clear and consistent.

This chapter took longer than it should have because I kept rethinking new team possibilities. But now that that is all stapled down, the next chapter should hopefully be a little faster. There is so much character interaction I want to get in that I might try writing chapters that take place between challenges.

* * *

Chapter 2: **Fear is the Mind Killer**

* * *

Trent trudged silently towards the campfire pit, still lost in thought. He was so wrapped up in his own world that he failed to notice where he was going.

"Hey! What's your damage?" came the voice of the camper the musician was least eager to anger.

"Sorry Gwen, I did not see you there."

"Then you must be blind." Gwen got up from where she had been sitting and stomped off towards the campfire.

"No wait, I..." Trent could only hang his head.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Trent: *He repeatedly hits his forehead*"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" *He rubs the red mark, wincing" "Hopefully we will be on the same team, then I can make it up to her. But whatever happens, I will keep my head in the game!"

Gwen: *Arms crossed* "I hate this place."

* * *

Cody and Owen were chatting at the campfire pit when Ezekiel darted out of the trees and hid behind Owen.

"You alright dude?" Cody inquired.

"She's following me." The prairie boy barely managed a whisper.

"If only I was lucky enough to have a girl following me."

"Careful what you wish for, Cody, you might get it?" Noah, who had just returned from the communal bathroom, interjected with a smirk.

Ezekiel nodded his head in agreement, staring at the geek like he had three heads. "You wouldn't say that if you were being chased by Izzy, eh."

As if on cue, the red haired girl appeared, leaping up onto Owen's shoulders with a single bound.

"There you are Zeke. Thought you could escape me? As if. I see your making friends already. Izzy approves."

Cody and Noah were unsure how to respond and Zeke was holding onto his toque like his life depended on it. Owen, however, seemed completely unfazed. An awkward silence prevailed between the teens as the rest of the campers began to file in. Ezekiel would occasionally glance with fear at Izzy, but she seemed content to stay on Owen's shoulders for the time being.

After several minutes, all the campers were seated at the fire pit. All eyes were glued to the host as he pulled out the team list, the tenuous bonds of friendships newly formed were about to be put to the test.

"Alrighty then. After that minor setback, we are going to need to move through the rest of today's activities all the quicker." the host began, "The following contestants will gather to my right."

"Owen..."

The lovable oaf quickly stood to his feet and waddled over to where Chris was pointing, smiling as always.

"Cody..."

The geek sprang out of his seat and gave Owen a high five.

"Gwen..."

The goth wordlessly walked over to the others, ignoring Cody's high five attempt.

"Bridgette..."

The surfer girl's concern for her glum teammate did not prevent her from completing Cody's hanging high five.

"Heather..."

The queen bee stuck her nose in the air and took her time joining her team, staring them all down in turn. Gwen looked even more miserable.

"Courtney..."

The CIT felt quite hurt that most of the Screaming Gophers did not acknowledge her, Bridgette being the sole exception. The brunette stood next to the surfer with her arms crossed.

"Duncan..."

Duncan seemed more than pleased to be on the same team as the CIT. In one sweeping motion, Duncan managed to kick Cody's feet out from under him, sending the geek sprawling. The punk stood next to Heather with a menacing grin on his face, occasionally shooting a glance at his mocha-skinned teammate.

"Eva..."

The blue clad athlete stomped over to her team, causing even Heather to tremble.

"Harold..."

The lanky nerd sighed loudly and glanced with fear at Duncan, who was repeatedly slamming his fist into his other hand, and stood as far away from the punk as he could.

"Trent..."

The musician was pleased to be on the same team as Gwen, though she did not return his smile. Most of his other teammates, however, seemed pleased to have him.

"And finally...Noah"

The bookworm breathed an audible sigh of relief and stood with Owen and Cody.

Chris then tossed a rolled up banner to Owen. "You will all be known as...The Screaming Gophers."

"Woohoo, I'm a gopher!" Owen cheered. The large teens cheerful demeanor was infectious and got smiles from the majority of the team.

"Moving right along..." Chris began, mildly annoyed at the delay, "For the second team we have...Justin..."

The model moved opposite the Gophers, much to the chagrin of the ladies on that team.

"Katie and Sadie..."

The two BFFs dashed over to the incarnation of physical perfection on their team and glomped the model.

"Lindsay..."

The blonde bombshell seemed as excited to be on the same team as Justin as the BFFs, skipping over to her team in glee. Her motions drew quite a few glazed stares from the male campers.

"Beth..."

Beth got a running leap and managed to wrap herself around the model's neck without knocking him over. Justin merely smiled before placing the farm girl on the ground.

"Tyler..."

The jock quickly rushed to Lindsay's side but was disappointed to see that all her attention was focused elsewhere.

"Geoff..."

The party animal joined to his team with a smile, giving both a downcast Tyler and the image of male physical perfection drowning beneath a wave of girls a high five.

"DJ..."

The gentle giant was welcomed by all the guys on his team. The girls were still gushing.

"Leshawna..."

The sister, unlike the other girls, managed to stay off of Justin. Her joy at being on the same team as her dancing buddies overwhelming all else.

"Ezekiel..."

The prairie boy looked nervously at his team, not sure what they thought of him. His confidence returned when he got encouraging smiles from DJ, Leshawna, and Geoff.

"and, but not least, Izzy."

Before Ezekiel could find a place to hide, his beloved toque was once again in the hands of the red haired girl who snatched it while performing a triple point dismount from Owen's shoulders.

The host pulled out a second banner and tossed it to DJ. "Our second team shall be known as..The Killer Bass!"

"The Killer Bass!" The team shouted together.

"Chop, chop! Throw your stuff into the cabins then gather for a quick bite to eat at the mess hall where I will explain the rules." Chris informed the campers.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Heather: *Looking very annoyed* "Chris threw quite a curve ball with these teams. I was hoping to end up with some losers like Lindsay or Beth that I could control but, as much as I hate to admit it, nobody on my team seems that stupid. Not to fear, the game is still mine. Chris might as well hand over the check now!"

Gwen: *Arms crossed* "So I just had to be on the same team as that b-tch Heather who is undoubtedly going to try her best to make me miserable. And with Trent and that geek Cody sneaking glances at me all the time, things could get really awkward. At least I did not end up on the same team as those squealing idiot twins.

Justin: *The model has his usual smile applied. His eye starts to twitch and the smile starts to fade. With a swift movement, the model breaks the handle of his mirror over his knee. A second later he looks in horror at what he has done.*

Cody: *The geek looks very pleased with himself while playing an air guitar." "Man this is awesome, my two friends and the two chicks I planned to impress, score!" *Goes back to playing air guitar.*

Courtney: "I don't think my team realizes just how lucky there are to have me. Well I will show them that I am without a doubt the most valuable member of this team! My CIT training shall prevail!"

Duncan: *The punk is grinning like a Cheshire cat.* "So many people to play with, so little time."

* * *

Several minutes later the campers where all sitting with their teams in the dining hall.

A large black man in a chef's hat looked ready to regal the teens with a long speech but the sight of Chris tapping his watch gave the cook pause.

"Chef will serve it three times a day...blah blah blah...you will eat it three times a day...blah blah blah..." the host read from a sheet of paper.

"Chris man, stop stealing my thunder!" Chef roared. "Do you know how long I spent commin up with that?"

"Nope, and I don't care. We don't have time for _your_ ramblings. Only **_mine_**." The host continued to speak, scanning the page he held line by line.

"Let's see. Those sitting next to you will be your teammates, your competition, and _possibly _even your friends." He couldn't help but chuckle at the last statement. "The last camper standing will win the one million dollars. Now eat quickly, after lunch you will have half an hour to prepare for the next challenge."

"What do you think the next challenge ith DJ?" Beth inquired, turning to her teammate.

"It's our first challenge," DJ replied, "how hard can it be?"

Chris could barely contain evil laughter at this innocent remark.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

After changing into their swimwear, the campers assembled at the top of the 1000 foot cliff.

"You just had to go there..." Noah groaned.

"Alright campers, this challenge is simple. In the water below you will see a large marked area we have filled with man eating sharks. Inside this death trap, I mean larger area, you will see a small safe zone we are _reasonably _sure is shark free. For every team member who makes it safely to shore, you will get a box of supplies for the next part of the challenge. Let's start with the Killer Bass."

Most of the Bass did not look eager to take the plunge. One red suited jock, desperate to get Lindsay's attention, finally stepped forward.

"I got this guys, I am on the diving team back home." He then took a running start and sailed over the edge. "Kowabungaaaaaaa..."

A distant splash could be heard from below as well as a cry of pain.

At that moment, Ezekiel had managed to wrest his beloved toque away from Izzy and decided to take the plunge before the red head could reclaim it. He pulled the green hat over his eyes and bounded over the edge as fast as he could.

Izzy was not about to give up the contest **that **easily however. With a loud cackle that frightened all in ear shot she took off after the prairie boy, both managing to land squarely in the safe zone. Without waiting for the boat, Ezekiel swam towards shore as fast as he could, pushing several sharks out of the way in the process, pursued closely by Izzy.

DJ was starting to shake visibly, drawing concerned looks from Geoff and Leshawna.

"You got this dude." The party animal gave the gentle giant a pat on the back then with a cheer dove into the safe zone.

"You ok, DJ?" Leshawna inquired.

"Yeah, sure. See you down there." the large teen responded, though his tone inspired no confidence in the large sister who with a shrug of the shoulders plummeted after her teammate. Even after she leapt, the gentle giant could not bring himself to jump.

While Chris wanted to keep things moving, he was never one to miss the opportunity to exploit the fears of others for laughs.

"Scared of heights, big guy?" the host had applied the most genuine looking smile he could muster while he walked up to DJ.

"Yeah..."

* * *

**_Flashback_**:

_DJ was about 6 years old. He and his mom had gone hiking and the weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. DJ's mom, ever safety conscious, had insisted they tie themselves together with a length of rope. Most of those who saw them gave raised their eyebrows at this but said nothing. When the pair had reached the top of the mountain, DJ insisted on crawling up to the edge of the precipice and looked over the side._

_"Wow, look how high we are mamma!" the little guy exclaimed._

_"Be careful, Poopydoo."_

_To DJ, it seemed the sky was within arms reach. He leaned a little further to see just how close it was and, in doing so, lost his balance and started to fall down into the empty void below. The quick pull of the rope also managed to topple the future brickhouse's mother who quickly slid towards the edge after her son._

_With a speed of reaction never demonstrated before, the large woman managed to grab the trunk of a tree standing near the edge. A quick glance revealed that nobody was nearby to help. Realizing that the life of her son depended solely on her, she summoned enough strength to haul her son back up onto the mountain top, nearly dropping the rope several times but always grasping it again._

_From DJ's point of view, he felt like he spent an eternity hanging upside down, limbs flailing, all his attention focused on the ground far below, to scared to scream. And just when the boy reassured himself that the situation could not get worse, he heard a rattling sound coming from above. DJ turned his head to see a large rattlesnake wrapped around the rope a few feet above him, hissing menacingly._

_The starring match continued until one of the times the rope slipped, dislodging the snake which landed squarely on DJ's chest. It opened its mouth, fangs barred, and prepared to strike. But before it could, however, one of DJ's flailing arms hit the snake and sent it flying down into the abyss._

_When DJ and his mom stood safely side by side on the mountain top, the boy couldn't speak. He just repeated "snake" over and over. Needless to say, DJ was much closer to his mother after that incident._

* * *

"...ever since I was a little kid." DJ looked like he was going to break into tears.

"That's ok." Chris began, patting the large teen on the back. He then pulled out a megaphone from behind his back. "It just means you're a chicken, so you get to wear this chicken hat for the rest of the day!"

DJ did not even acknowledge the yellow monstrosity placed on his head. He just trudged dejectedly towards a convenient nearby escalator and headed down the mountain, the disapproving gaze of his team following.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Bridgette: "I know I should be glad that someone from the other team didn't jump but..." *she sighs* "I just cannot stand seeing someone in that much pain. Chris is a real jerk."

Noah: "So we are living in cabins held together by glue and eating foul paste yet Chris built a 1000 foot escalator into the side of the mountain..."

* * *

The remaining Bass looked at each other silently, nobody taking a step towards the cliff.

"Someone better jump in the next five seconds or your all getting chicken hats." Chris shouted over the mega phone.

"Oh my gosh, we cannot let that happen." Katie exclaimed.

"This is going to be so easy since we are on the same team." Sadie nodded.

"We're coming Killer Bass, EEEEEEEEE!" The two called out as the jumped over the edge hand in hand.

Lindsay walked up next, not looking at all sure of herself.

"I thought this was a talent contest." The blonde bombshell whined to Chris.

The host was laughing too hard to respond but when Lindsay saw the encouraging smiles from her two teammates, she too took the plunge, screaming all the way.

Beth was trembling visibly as she forced herself to the edge.

"I can't do it, I'm to thcared." She whispered to herself.

Sensing her hesitation, Justin quickly walked behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. The farm girl turned and saw the model smiling at her (and she swore there was some music playing in the background). She could not bear to think of letting the model down so without giving herself a chance to second guess, she jumped.

Justin then turned to the Screaming Gophers, gave them a deep bow, and performed a perfect swan dive off the cliff.

Unfortunately his aim was poor and he ended up outside the safe zone. Almost immediately two fins started to ominously head in his direction. All the campers began calling out to warn the model who turned around just in time to see the gaping maws of two sharks open wide. Before he could be consumed whole, the sharks stopped their charge and stared with adoration at the image of perfection before them. Such beauty would not go to waste on their watch.

Justin was greeted by cheers from his team as he stepped onto the shore. He was quickly glomped by the girls of his team save Leshawna who was comforting DJ with Geoff.

"So that is 10 jumpers and 1 chicken. You're up Gophers, can you beat their score? If you do, we will throw in some carts to hall the crates in."

None of the Gophers seemed particularly eager to take the plunge.

"I'm sorry but I am **not **doing this." Heather declared, defying anyone on her team to challenge her.

"Oh yes. you. are." came a gruff voice.

"Make me..." Heather immediately regretted those words.

"My pleasure." Eva swiftly came behind the queen bee, picked her up, and tossed her over the edge like she weighed nothing. The tough girl then turned to the rest of her team.

"If any of you even think about chickening out, I will come back up here at toss you down, got it!" Satisfied with the terrified nods from her teammates, Eva silently followed the raven haired teen over the edge.

"Let's just get this over with." Gwen mumbled before flinging herself over into the abyss.

"Mad jumping skills, AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" came Harold's war cry as he too took the plunge. In his eagerness to showcase his abilities, he forgot proper diving form and landed right on his crotch, receiving sympathetic looks from all the guys on both teams.

"All right, my turn." Cody began, stepping up to the edge with his characteristic slyish grin. He then blew a kiss at the two girls still at the top of the cliff while wiggling his eyebrows getting only rolled eyes in response. The geek proceeded to test the force of gravity and found it was acting at full strength, Cody's composure rapidly disappearing as he began to flail his limbs in fear.

Courtney was next in line and she did not look enthused. "Excuse me Chris, I have a medical condition."

"What condition is that?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A condition that prevents me from jumping off cliffs."

"You better not be chickening out, Princess!" Duncan was glaring threateningly at the CIT.

"I am not chicken! I refuse to do something so ludicrously dangerous."

"You do realize that everyone has made it, right?" Noah drawled.

"Like you're going to jump you lazy bookworm."

"Such a witty comeback." Noah gave the CIT a slow clap while he continued "Good to know you have figured us all out already."

Noah walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down while stroking his chin. He then turned to his chubby friend standing nearby.

"Half of dinner says you cannot clear all the sharks out of the water when you jump." Noah held out his hand, waiting for Owen to shake.

"Oh, you're on man!" After shaking Noah's hand, the jolly giant pulled on some extra flotation devices before plummeting over the edge towards the lake below, screaming all the way. The moment Owen hit the water, a giant tidal wave formed that carried the rescue boat and the sharks to shore.

With a wry glance at the CIT, Noah followed his rotund comrade's path down the cliff, his arms and legs spread wide to slow him down pulling himself into a tight ball just before impact.

As much as she hated being shown up by her teammate, Courtney still could not bring herself to jump, even when she remembered Eva's threat.

"Come on Courtney, the team needs this." Trent pleaded, placing a reassuring hand on the CIT's shoulder which was almost immediately shrugged off.

After another half a minute of stalling, Duncan walked up behind her.

"I ain't losing cause you're feeling queasy, Princessss." The punk hissed before pushing the CIT off the edge, the brunette screaming at the top of her lungs all the way down.

"She is quite the screamer ain't she?" Duncan commented, earning glares from Trent and Bridgette. Seeing that no further response was forthcoming, the punk rolled his eyes. "Whatever dudes." The final two campers did not even acknowledge his departure till they heard a distant splash below.

"Bet I can beat you to the bottom." Trent smiled at Bridgette, desperate to lighten the mood.

The surfer girl smiled back, giving the musician a high five. "You're on."

The two took a running leap and dove head first Bridgette's water suit ultimately causing her to fall slightly faster.

"So that is 11 jumpers and no chickens." Chris called down to the campers with his megaphone. "Grab your crates and head back to your cabins for the next part of the challenge: building a hot tub."

* * *

**Confessional**:

DJ: *Looks very depressed* "I let you down momma. I let the team down." *He breaks down into tears*

* * *

Despite their earlier conflicts, the Gopher's spirits were high as they hauled their crates back to camp in the carts Chris provided.

The mood on the Bass team was much more subdued as they struggled to push their crates back to camp. DJ was doing his utmost to get his crate back and had even taken Beth's crate when the farm girl, who now walked beside him, was too tired to push anymore.

"Don't feel too bad DJ. we can thtill win thith!"

The brickhouse just sighed in response.

Leshawna and Geoff left their crates for a moment when they saw the pain their friend was in.

"Come on dude, you gotta lighten up. Otherwise we've already lost." The party animal exclaimed.

"I hate to sound harsh DJ, but you really have to put whatever is bugging you behind you. If we lose this challenge, the team could decide to vote you off." Leshawna added.

DJ wiped his eyes before turning to his friends with a smile. "Thanks guys. Your right, we can still win this!"

With renewed vigor, the four teammates caught up to the other Bass members, setting a faster pace for the rest to follow. Even with the extra effort, the Bass still arrived at their cabin after the Gophers, who had managed to open some of their crates using their teeth. Without a word, the Bass began to rapidly open their boxes and start assembling their hot tub.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The Gopher team was not nearly as quiet.

"Are you sure that is where the nails go?" Courtney questioned Harold.

"Yes. It says so right here on the instructions. Gosh!"

"Calm down guys, we are well ahead of the Bass." Bridgette interjected.

"Just don't mess anything up!" the CIT told Harold before marching off.

"What did I ever do to her?" Harold inquired of the surfer.

"Don't take it personally, that is just how she communicates." Bridgette's voice barely hid her doubts. Eager for a change of topic, she noticed Owen and Gwen heading to the lake to get water and volunteered to join them.

As soon as the noise from the cabins began to fade into the distance, Gwen sighed loudly.

"Peace at last. I cannot stand the people on this team." She muttered to herself.

"Aw, we can't all be that bad?" Bridgette replied with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah Gwen, how can you not be excited with all the awesome stuff here?" Owen interjected.

"To...much...positive...energy." Gwen mocked hanging herself before walking faster. As the goth passed, Bridgette couldn't help but notice a slight smile on her teammate's face.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Bridgette: "I hate to think badly about anyone, but Courtney is not going to make any friends at this rate." *She stares away from the camera with a thoughtful look* "And Gwen is quite the mystery, I bet she has been through a lot. I hope we can be friends too."

Harold: *He sighs loudly* "Figures..." *He cannot bring himself to continue and stares blankly at the camera for half a minute before leaving*

* * *

Meanwhile, Cody and Noah were looking over the hot tub the heater.

"It's a good thing I have had practice on the one at home." Cody informed his friend, "this particular model is known to be quite finicky but it seems everything is fine here."

"And I would not trust Chris to give us anything that works." Noah replied. "And to think our_ first_ challenge was jumping off a thousand foot cliff."

"Aw don't sweat it, I am sure the next challenge will be much easier. They can only get so much harder...right?"

"Are you **trying **to jinx us?" Noah groaned. He then looked over at the Bass team. "It seems they have more than made up for their late start."

"I wonder why?"

Before Noah could reply, a loud voice sounded in their direction.

"Are you two done yet?" came the all too familiar voice of a certain CIT.

"Almost, **_Mom_**" Noah called back. "That should answer your question Cody."

"Why is she so bossy, I don't see her doing anything."

"She probably got the 'leaders don't get involved in the details' speech. To be fair it's how I operate in the student council back home."

"Your class president? Cool."

Noah's omnipresent smirk widened. "Governments not all it's cracked up to be."

Before Cody could inquire further, the ground began to shake. Seconds later Owen came lumbering back from the lake along with Bridgette and Gwen, buckets of water in hand.

"We got the water guys." Owen called out.

"Good, cause we've finished assembling the tub superstructure!" Harold wheezed, pounding his chest in pride.

"Dweeb." Heather and Duncan mumbled under their breaths from opposite sides of the group.

As Bridgette walked up to empty her buckets she managed to trip over her own feet and splash her water all over Cody.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." Bridgette began immediately. After a moment she couldn't help but smirk at the geek. "Isn't this, like, the third time today you have gotten soaked?"

After a moment in thought Cody broke out laughing before replying with a smirk of his own. "It's okay, Bridgette. As long as this does not get edited into some kind of running gag, I can manage." The geek failed to notice Noah face palming at his words.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Chris: *Cackles maniacally*

* * *

The bookworm neatly picked up the heater before the spilled water could get to the open electronics. He managed to steal another worried glance at the Bass tub before finishing the reassembly of the heater. He turned at the sound of footsteps behind him.

"Ugh, how did those losers get ahead of us? We had the advantage!" Heather exclaimed.

Noah covered his ears. "I wonder..."

"Shut it nerd!" the queen bee noticed what Noah was holding. "Why are you fiddling with that, trying to sabotage us?"

"You got me. Cody and I were just visibly tampering with the heater in clear view of everyone so it would fail and cost us the challenge. Are you always so paranoid?" When he got no response, the bookworm continued, "If you must know, Cody told me this cheap model can be finicky and so we wanted to make sure it would work properly. Turns out it_ was_ in perfect working order, if a bit finicky, Chris would hate a lawsuit so soon. Now if you will excuse me."

Heather merely glared after the sweater wearing teen as he and Cody installed the heater. She then looked back at the Killer Bass with an evil smirk.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The Killer Bass' spirits were high. It turned out Geoff had previously helped construct several hot tubs for beach parties back home and the party animal was expertly directing the efforts of his team.

"Let's see," the cowboy hat sporting teen thought out loud, "Justin and DJ are getting water and the rest of the tub looks good. And it looks like we are somehow ahead of the Gophers. Wahoo!"

"Psssst!" came a whisper from a nearby tree. The party animal turned to see a shadowy figure motioning to him from behind the tree. After a quick glance assured him that none of his team were looking, he went to investigate.

"Why are you over here, you're not on our team?"

"Shhhh." The figure responded, "I only came because I don't want to see anyone get hurt."

"Hurt?" Geoff all but shouted in alarm.

"Shhhhhhhhhh. If my team catches me here I could be dead. I only want to help. Cody told me that the heaters for the tubs are, um, wired poorly. It took him nearly an hour to get them fixed. He was worried it might explode. If you're going to do anything about it your better hurry. Asking Chris for help would probably be a waste of time. I better go now."

Geoff stared after the retreating figure with a look of dismay. He had seen Cody and Noah working on the heater earlier and they had looked very concerned...

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

After another half hour Chris called time and began his inspection. Both tubs seemed in perfect working order: water bubbling nicely, wooden bodies securely nailed together.

"It seems both teams have done a really good job here. It is going to be hard to pick a winner." Chris continued to stroke his chin and looked back and forth between the two hot tubs for another minute.

"After much deliberation, I would have to say the winners are..." all the campers looked on with anticipation.

...

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"The..."

...

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"Killer..."

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_*Hiiiissssssssssssssssss*_

Before the host could finish, the Bass' heater began to let out giant puffs of gray smoke.

"Creeper!" Cody and Harold shouted before diving behind a nearby tree.

"Hit the deck!" the host cried out before lying flat on the ground. Most of the campers quickly imitated his action. Almost immediately the heater erupted into a fireball which tore the Bass' tub to shreds.

"Anybody hurt?" Chris inquired. "Wouldn't want any lawsuits after the first episode." When he heard no gasps of pain, the host looked at the damage with annoyance. "That should not have happened, I had the interns examine them thoroughly beforehand. Did one of you guys tamper with it?"

Most of the Killer Bass shook their heads, looking at each other with suspicion. One of them did step forward after a long pause, eyes alight in anger.

"Dude, I am sure nobody on our team knows enough about electronics to tamper with it." Geoff was shaking slightly but nobody seemed to notice.

"Well, I guess I have no choice but to declare the Screaming Gophers the winners of the first challenge!" Chris responded with arms crossed. "Bass, sucks to be you. See your sorry buts at the campfire tonight."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Ezekiel: "I can't say I am to surprised we lost, eh. We have more girls on our team. But even I can see that was not why we lost today. Probably should vote off a girl just to be safe. *A loud gasp is heard outside*

Leshawna: *From outside* "Oh, no, you did **NOT** just say that."

Ezekiel: *His eyes go wide* "Oooops..."

Leshawna: *Still outside* "You're in for it now homeschool. I ain't gonna take that from any guy, your ass is going home. Just you...Ugh" *A loud thwack is heard and the sound of a body hitting the ground.

Izzy: *She opens the door and leans on the door frame* "My, my Zeke, what have you gotten yourself into. Lucky for you Izzy knows hypnosis. She won't remember a thing. She will have a nasty headache for several hours though."

Ezekiel: *The teen seems even more scared of his red haired teammate then before* "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why are you helping me after what I said, eh?"

Izzy: *She rolls her eyes* "If I was held responsible for everything I ever said then well..." *She pauses for a second looking more serious then we have seen her yet. The look promptly disappears* "Don't think Izzy is going to let you and your misogynistic views of the hook just yet, Zeke." *She breaks into a maniacal cackle before grabbing Ezekiel's toque and making a run for it.

Ezekiel: *He is too confused to realize his hat is missing.* "Girls..."

* * *

The mood back at the Bass cabin was abysmal. Katie, Sadie, Lindsay, and Beth all sat in the girls side of the cabin, finding solace in each other's company.

"I can't believe we lost!" Katie complained to Sadie.

"Yeah, we totally had won the challenge before our tub blew up." Sadie had an uncharacteristically dark look on her face.

"I don't think Kyle likes us, why is he so mean?" Lindsay seemed close to tears.

"Cheer up guys, I am sure we will win next time." Beth was trying desperately to control the emotions in the room.

"Maybe, but we still have to vote someone off tonight. I would die if it were Sadie!"

"And I would die if it were you!"

"Aw thanks...I guess." Katie raised an eyebrow as the oddness of the exchange struck her. "Who do you guys think we should vote off?"

Sadie suddenly looked very excited and pointed out the window. "Look, its Justin! Let's ask him what he thinks."

Beth stepped outside the cabin and motion for the model to join them. Justin stepped into the girls side of the cabin with a large smile on his face.

"Tho who do you think we thould vote off?" Beth inquired.

The model looked up in thought for a moment before mentioning a name to the girls.

"Why should we vote for him?" The girls inquired.

"There is something I overheard which you ladies should know about..." The model began. After telling his tale, the girls all shook their heads in agreement.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Geoff and DJ sat with Leshawna who was held an ice pack to the back of her head.

"Do you remember what hit you?" DJ asked with concern.

"No, I don't. I am pretty sure someone on our team did it."

"You think someone from OUR team knocked you out?" Geoff asked in horror.

"Yes, and though I cannot remember for sure, I have a bad feeling about that Ezekiel kid that I did not have earlier."

"I don't know, I would hate to send the dude home if he is innocent." Geoff replied.

"You got a better idea about who to vote for?" Leshawna challenged with eyebrow raised.

"No." Geoff sighed.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Later that evening, the Killer Bass sat around the campfire.

"I have here 10 marshmallows. At a regular summer camp a marshmallow is a tasty treat. Here it represents safety, security, and a continued stay on the island." The host silently turned from camper to camper with a threatening stare. "When I call out your name, come forward to collect your marshmallow."

"Izzy...DJ...Tyler...Beth...Lindsay...Katie...Sadie, you are all safe with no votes against you." He continued when the girls had retrieved their treats.

"Justin, the next marshmallow is yours."

The model calmly walked up to the host and picked up his treat. Geoff, Leshawna, and Ezekiel all eyed each other with concern.

"The next marshmallow goes to...Leshawna." The sister gave Geoff a high five and stood next to DJ. She did not seem overly concerned about the outcome.

"And the last marshmallow goes to...

...

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Ezekiel!"

Geoff, DJ, and Leshawna looked on in shock at this unexpected outcome.

"Why did you vote **him** off?" Leshawna cried out. "What did he do?"

Justin turned to face her and let out a single word "Sabotage."

"Him, sabotage us? He is the only reason we nearly won!"

The male model did not speak further, instead heading back to the cabins.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Justin: *He stares directly into the camera, his voice and eyes are cold as ice* "Betrayal will not be tolerated."

Tyler: "I will never get a chance with Lindsay if I don't get rid of Justin."

Ezekiel: "We'd better vote off Leshawna before she remembers anything, eh?"

Izzy: *She is on the roof of the confessional and lowers her head into view* "Fine with me, Zekey!"

Beth: "I feel bad voting for Geoff after all he did for the team today, but if he really did talk to thomeone on the other team..."

* * *

_Votes_:

Justin: Geoff

Lindsay: Geoff

Katie: Geoff

Sadie: Geoff

Beth: Geoff

Izzy: Leshawna

Ezekiel: Leshawna

Leshawna: Ezekiel

Geoff: Ezekiel

Tyler: Justin

DJ: Ezekiel

_Totals_:

**Geoff: 5**

**Ezekiel: 3**

**Leshawna: 2**

**Justin: 1**

* * *

End Notes:

* * *

Sorry to all the Geoff fans out there. Everyone has to go sooner or later. I don't bear the guy any particular ill will, but he has gotten his share of development in the show and other fan-fictions. And let's face it, some may think Bridgette is shallow (not I, of course), but Geoff managed to lose his friendly personality in a matter of a few short in universe weeks during TDA...not to mention he is not the smartest guy around.

Please read and review. Again, I will go over the chapter more thoroughly tomorrow to correct any grammar/spelling errors I missed.


	3. Chapter 3: Interlude One

Disclaimer: I claim dis story is mine. The characters, setting, and a large budget are not.

Author Notes: Thanks again for all the reviews, they're (part of) what keeps me going.

**Marius Riggs**: While I still am not giving any hints here on future romance/heartbreaks/spontaneous combustion, I will say there is no Noah/Cody (or any slash for that matter). Nope. None. You can now safely stop using your caps lock key.

**Epicenter Six: **Thanks for the critiques. As for introducing Leshawna in the first chapter, it's true I did not have Chris introduce her properly like everyone else. But then, he did not introduce her in the cartoon either. Still a valid observation on consistency that I would not have caught otherwise.

Thanks again to everyone else who left a review.

This chapter is a little different than the previous two. Hopefully you all enjoy the change of pace.

* * *

Chapter 3: **Interlude One**

* * *

Chris is standing on the dock with his patented smile on once again.

"Last time on Total. Drama. Island..."

*Camera shows a quick montage of the campers while the host continues to speak*

"We brought twenty two of the craziest *Izzy*, meanest *Duncan then Heather*, bossiest *Courtney*, and strangest *Ezekiel* gluttons for punishment *Trent hitting his forehead repeatedly* we could find from across this great country of ours and divided them into two teams, The Screaming Gophers and the Killer Bass."

"The first challenge was simple: jump off a thousand foot cliff and then, using the parts provided, build a hot tub. Yet some were too afraid of a little dip in the lake *DJ walking towards the elevator*and chickened out."

"Despite the early set back, the Bass nearly managed to pull off a win before their hot tub heater exploded *Video of explosion*. It's their own fault for tampering with it; Total Drama Inc. is in no way responsible or liable. When it came down to elimination time, everyone was shocked that the first camper to leave was none other than the popular party boy Geoff due mostly to the accusation of sabotage coming from Justin McGorgeousness. It was a shocker even to me."

"As an extra treat for this episode, we are going to start off with some of the juiciest moments caught on tape during the first day after the challenge. Unfortunately this means you will see less of my pretty face for the moment, but fear not, I shall return to the spotlight later. These bits are just too good to miss."

"Our first camper is gone and a second is soon to follow. Who will win, who will lose? Find out Right Here, Right Now on another crazy episode of TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND..."

* * *

**Theme (just put this in at the *cue theme* in future chapters till further notice)**:

"Dear Mom and Dad I'm doing fine..."

*_Camera zooms from the dock past a surprised Chris and zooms up the mountain..._*

"You guys are on my mind..."

*_Before plunging into the lake below._*

"You asked me what I wanted to be..."

*_Owen is swimming in the lake when he lets out a steam of bubbles from his rear._*

"And now I think the answer is plain to see..."

*_Bridgette is surfing when the bubbles surface, causing her to make a face and fall into the water._*

"I wanna be..."

*_Cody is watching from shore and frantically looks for help. He steps out of the way of a falling bucket of water and points upward with a laugh_*

"Famous..."

*_A second one finds its mark. Quivering with rage the geek flings the metal bucket __off screen...and into Eva's face. She chases him off screen._*

"I wanna live close to the sun..."

*The camera _swivels to_ _Gwen who is smirking at Cody's dilemma. She turns around to see Trent down on one knee playing his guitar offering her a bouquet of flowers. The goth looks unsure of what to think._*

"I'll pack your bags cause I've already won..."

*_The camera transitions through a cabin window behind the pair where we see_ _Ezekiel and Izzy sneaking away from a duffle bag snickering. A muffled boom is heard a moment later and foul odors begin to drift out._*

"Everything to prove nothing in my way..."

*_Tyler climbs over the top of the 1000 foot cliff and sees Lindsay, Beth, Katie, and Sadie staring at a posing Justin. He calls out to the blonde but she does not notice him._*

"I'll get there one day..."

*_The model does notice and walks over the jock. He then to __grinds his heel into Tyler's hand, sending the red suited teen falling down the cliff. The girls are completely oblivious._*

"Cause I wanna be..."

*_The jock falls manages to cause a rock climbing Harold to lose his grip. The two then fall together and land on top of a Sun tanning Heather_*

"Famous..."

*_The queen bee squirms for a moment before a shadowy hand pulls her out of the pile._*

"Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah..."

*_DJ, Geoff, and Leshawna sing and dance on the beach. Duncan walks onto the stage and throws the sister off in annoyance._*

"I wanna be..."

*_A nearby_ _Courtney glares at the punk and resumes playing her violin._*

"I wanna be..."

"I wanna be..."

*_She is surprised when a skeletal marionette drops in front of her face and starts to dance._*

"Famous..."

*_After the initial shock wears off, she pulls on the strings_*

"I wanna be..."

*_The strings fall down on their own for a moment..._*

"I wanna be..."

*_Followed by Noah, who is laughing __uncontrollably._*

"I wanna be..."

*_He picks himself up and in one smooth motion..._*

"Famous."

*And s_its down on a nearby tree stump. The camera pulls back to reveal all the other campers sitting around the fire unaware of what just happened._*

* * *

The Sun was bright that morning, waking up the campers far earlier than they would wish. Everyone was still tired from the challenge the previous day.

Cody walked up to the Gopher guy's cabin door which was slightly ajar. He noticed a wet spot on the patio outside and looked up to see a bucket of water perched on the door.

"Um, how stupid do you think I am?" Cody questioned with a backward glance, noticing Duncan snapping his fingers at the failed trap.

The geek placed the bucket of water safely on the ground and proceeded towards the stairs. He walked into a trip wire which stops him in his tracks. A quick glance upward justifies his fear as another bucket of water spills all over him.

"Gaaah!"

"You asked for that one, buddy." Came Noah's voice. Cody could visualize the smirk on his face even if the geek could not see it.

"What are you planning on doing today, Noah?" His enthusiasm for the new day was undampened even if his clothes were.

"Finding a nice secluded spot to catch up on my reading, naturally." The bookworm walked past his friend, gave a detached wave, and disappeared into the woods.

"Some peace and quiet would be good after yesterday." Trent grabbed his guitar and headed out the door.

The geek looked around for his large rotund friend but could not see him. "Anybody know where Owen is?"

"Last I saw, Farticus went to take a swim in the lake." Duncan yawned before rolling over. "Now can you guys shut up, some of us are trying to sleep!"

"Well then, if all of your guys are busy, it seems the opportunity to charm the ladies has arrived, catch you later."

"Wait up!" Came a wheezy voice from the back of the cabin. "Allow me to lend you my assistance for I am trained in the ancient art of Girl-Whispering! Just give me a second..." The nerd looked around his belongings but could not find his glasses. Before he could inquire of his teammates concerning the whereabouts of his glasses, Duncan's prone form began to shake uncontrollably.

"Looking for something, Dork?" The punk let out between laughs.

"Duncan, would you kindly return my glasses?" Harold glared at the punk.

The punk did not respond for a moment, then he pulled the glasses out from under his pillow and tossed them to Harold who managed to catch them in a swift, seemingly practiced motion. He put them on and stomped out the door, followed closely by Cody.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Harold: *He looks like he is trying to burn holes in the camera with his glare* "Duncan thinks he is sooooo clever. He thinks he can just push me around and I will take it lying down. He has no idea what he's getting into."

* * *

The inevitable train wreck that was girl's side of the Gopher cabin was in top gear already. Eva was spared the pain as she had gotten up and left with her bag of sports equipment before any of the other girls were awake.

"I know _someone _was messing with my things! Who was it? I want names!" Came a high pitched whine.

"Shut up, Courtney!" An annoyed Heather retorted, "You really think I would _want_ to take any of your crap?"

"Will you two ever shut up?" Gwen exclaimed with a roll of the eyes. The goth grabbed her diary and quickly made for the quiet solitude of the forest.

As the two girls continued to exchange verbal broadsides, Bridgette decided staying at ground zero any longer than necessary would not be healthy so she also made a fast exit, grabbing her board which was resting just outside the door. Her CIT teammate stormed out of the cabin and off towards the dock a moment later, shouting curses which had to be censored.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Courtney: "If that cow Heather thinks I am going to let her walk all over me, she has another thing coming!"

Heather: "Someone's highly strung. It should be child's play to push her over the edge."

Gwen: "This is going to be a long eight weeks."

Bridgette: "Why can't we all just get along?"

* * *

A short while later, Trent could hear violin music drifting across the campgrounds from the dock. He went to investigate and saw Courtney playing to herself. Not wanting to interrupt, he waited till she finished the song she was playing and then gave soft, polite clap.

"Very nice." The musician gave his teammate a warm smile.

"Why thank you." The CIT gave a small bow and returned a smile of her own. Her expression then became serious. "Look, I realize we may not have started off on the right foot yesterday. I over reacted." She paused for a second, looking mildly pained, before murmuring "Sorry."

"No harm done." The musician looked over the placid lake for several moments before turning back to his teammate. "You want tell me about yourself now?"

"Maybe another time," She hurriedly responded "there is actually someone else I need to talk to."

Trent shrugged his shoulders and started strumming his guitar as Courtney headed down the beach.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

A wet suit clad Bridgette walked towards the beach surfboard in hand. She could barely contain her excitement at finally getting a chance to surf. She always felt more at home on the waves. Before she could start however, she saw Courtney walking towards her.

"Hey Bridgette, trying to catch some waves?"

"I hope so, the water looks fairly promising."

"I wanted to say...I realize that yesterday was not one of my better days and I want to make amends now while the competition is still beginning. I hope we can be friends." The CIT held out her hand which Bridgette shook with a smile.

"I would like that. Maybe we can chat later."

"Sure. I should be off now and let you get back to the waves." Courtney said with a quick wave while walking away.

"You don't have to go..." but she was already out of earshot. With a shrug, the surfer turned back towards the waves.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Courtney: "I'd like to think I'm woman enough to admit when I make a mistake and the simple fact is that I did not make the best of impressions on my team and if I want to avoid getting the boot, I have to get on some peoples' good sides."

*She starts to count off fingers as she continues to speak.*

"Owen is disgusting, Cody acts like a perverted 'ladies' man, Harold is a gross nerd, Eva does not seem interested in interacting with _anyone _on the team, I doubt I could stand being around Gwen, she is always so gloomy, working with Heather would only make things worse, not to mention she is a manipulative b-tch, Noah may be smarter than most of the campers here, but I doubt I could stand his constant sarcasm, and Duncan is a disgusting slob who has already pissed off half the team. Bridgette and Trent, on the other hand, seem like genuinely nice people who will get along with the others. Associating myself with them should improve my image."

*She smirks at the camera*

"And you said I couldn't be a politician."

Trent: "I guess we were all a bit tense yesterday. I am certainly willing to give her another chance even if she does seem evasive."

Bridgette: "A bit formal, but she certainly seems sincere."

* * *

As the blonde approached the lake, she heard several other pairs of footsteps approaching.

"Hey Bridgette, how are the waves looking today?" Cody asked with his slyest possible look.

"Do they have any other boards here? Cause I have some mad surfing skills." Harold added.

"Hey guys. The waves do look good today. You are welcome to join me though I only have the one board."

"Why don't you go first Bridgette? You were here first and I would love to see you surf." Cody adamantly requested.

"Ok." The surfer girl was a bit mystified by the geek's enthusiasm but she enjoyed sharing her passion so she took off into the water without a backward glance."

"She sure is something, isn't she?" Cody sighed.

"Exquisite form." Harold stared wide eyed as Bridgette caught several smaller waves. "She is truly a master surfer."

Cody looked at his teammate with a raised eyebrow but his attention was quickly drawn towards back to Bridgette who had managed to catch an abnormally large wave and was headed in towards shore.

"Do they get waves that big on a lake?" The geek questioned.

"No..." Harold immediately started to run backwards away from the water but he tripped and landed flat on his back.

Cody managed to move far enough away to avoid getting wet much to his delight.

"That was close. I would hate to get soaked again." Cody heard a rustle coming from the tree above and only had enough time to see another full water bucket come crashing down towards his head.

"Are...*snicker*...you...*snicker*...okay?" Bridgette lost control and started laughing uncontrollably.

"Yeah." Came the hollow echo of Cody's voice "Maybe someday I will learn to keep my mouth shut." He pulled the bucket off his head and threw it aside. "I don't suppose you could give me a surfing lesson do you?"

* * *

**Confessional**:

Chris: "For the sake of the viewers, I hope you never learn to keep your trap shut."

Cody: "Well, looks like I have a lot to learn when it comes to surfing, but Bridgette is willing to help me learn which gives me more time to hang with her." *He fist-pumps* "But I shouldn't get too far ahead of myself, I better try and talk to Gwen soon so she doesn't think the Codmiester isn't attracted by her charms."

* * *

Noah was reading under a shady tree at the edge of the forest which gave him a good view of the goings on on the beach. He chuckled to himself at Cody's antics and painfully not so suave attempts to get closer to Bridgette. He also found it hilarious that nobody seemed to notice the source of the monster wave: Owen. The jolly teen had just jumped off the now empty dock and was gazing guiltily towards shore.

Suddenly Noah heard a rustle coming from above but nothing could be seen. Noah turned back to his book to find a long strand of orange hair serving as a new bookmark.

"Hello, Izzy."

"Shhhh!" Came her reply from above "I'm spying."

"Why?" Noah did not seem particularly interested in her reply.

"I don't trust Justin. I am trying to keep an eye on him." She continued.

"Good luck with that." Noah's interest was piqued "I can't say I'm too fond of him either. I could never stand people who get by on looks and have no mental capacity."

"Oh, I wouldn't say he has no brain. It's just a very devious, deceptive, lying one."

"Interesting." The bookworms tone undermining the sincerity of his words. "I don't suppose you are hiding up there as well, Ezekiel?" He sighed.

"No, he is not here. Izzy decided to make this a solo mission and Zekey needs to make some other friends besides Izzy."

"Hopefully his new friends will not try to steal his hat at _Every. Possible. Waking. Moment_." His smirk widened with each word and his eyebrow seemed cocked impossibly high.

"I am blameless; the toque has powers that even I cannot comprehend. I am its most humble servant." Izzy held her hand over her heart like she was giving a pledge.

"Right..." The bookworm's sarcasm could be cut with a knife.

"Moving right along. Why are you by yourself Noah?

"I came here in an apparently vain attempt to get some peace and quiet. They seem to be rare commodities on this island."

"Being alone is no fun. Izzy noticed your teammate Gwen sitting a little ways into the woods a couple minutes ago. You could have peace and quiet together. Wouldn't that be more interesting?"

"Being alone...together?" Noah was clearly hoping Izzy would catch on to the contradiction. "She wants to be alone, I assume she want to be alone. We are both happy as is."

The bookworm looked up when he got no response and found that Izzy's face was practically touching his as she dangled perilously from a branch which she had wrapped her feet around.

"GAAAH. Have you no respect for personal space?" Noah exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet.

"Nope." The orange haired girl replied as she neatly swung 180 degrees to land solidly on her feet.

"Such touching honesty."

"Well, I better be off. Duty calls and it's not fun being around the glum sour puss. Toodles!" The girl bounded off with a wave, leaving a confused Noah in her wake.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Noah: "...What?"

Izzy: "Yeah, Izzy ain't actually spying on Justin. But saying she was spying on that perfect body is a brilliant cover for her real mission: Spying on Leshawna. Izzy is worried the sister may remember what happened to her yesterday, I only had a couple hours to learn the hypnosis technique from the Aborigine witch doctor after all, and I wouldn't want Zeke sent home for a silly little mistake. But I cannot tell that bookworm any of this. I don't know who he may report to!"

* * *

Within moments of leaving, Izzy was back in the trees spying on her fellow campers. After nearly an hour of observations, she came upon DJ and Leshawna taking a walk around the island. She followed close enough to hear their conversation yet remain unseen.

"I still cannot believe Geoff got the boot!" Leshawna exclaimed with rage.

"Neither can I, but there is no reason to raise your voice again." The gentle giant replied with some trepidation.

"You're right, sorry, I got to keep my cool if I'm ever gonna win this thing. And you of all people don't deserve my anger. Your probably the only person on the team I trust now." She continued after a short pause. "The votes just don't make sense. We know that only Geoff, Ezekiel, Justin, and I got any votes. The three of us voted for Ezekiel, and it's probably safe to bet him and that crazy girl of his voted for me."

"Justin seemed convinced that Geoff had sabotage our team, so it's clear who he voted for. And he got a vote himself from someone, though I cannot say who." DJ interjected.

"Mmmhmm. That leaves four votes unaccounted for, at least three of which had to have been Geoff." The sister looked lost in thought for several minutes before her expression became darker.

DJ noticed this change with concern. "What is it?"

"Suppose that Justin had gotten all the other girls on our team to vote with him. They seem eager enough as is to fawn all over his beautifully toned body. It could not have taken much effort on his part to get them to vote with him."

"You could be right." DJ rubbed his chin. "But what if _Justin_ is right and Geoff _did_ try to sabotage the team?" After realizing how distrusting what he had just said was, he quickly added "No, Geoff did not seem like that kind of guy, he seemed like a really cool dude who just wanted to party."

"Agreed, brother. That guy did sure know how to party. But there is something else that concerns me more than the simple fact he is gone, much as I hate to admit it."

When all DJ gave in reply was a cocked eyebrow, she continued. "The fact is, Justin was able to rally five members of the team to vote as one." She paused to let the revelation sink in. "How long are we gonna last?"

"What do we do?"

"Though all the girls here will suffer, it is in our best interest to get rid of the model before he can take complete control of the team by eliminating someone else who is not his follower. And that means as much as I may not like Ezekiel, I am gonna have to work with him for the moment."

"You remember why you don't like him yet?" DJ inquired.

"It's all still hazy, but I vaguely remember him saying something...sexist?"

"No, really? I did not think any sane person held those views anymore." DJ seemed appalled by the very idea that someone actually held such views. "Let's hope you heard wrong."

Deciding she had heard enough, Izzy swung away from her teammates to find Ezekiel. Neither she nor the two on the ground noticed a shadowy observer creeping away as well.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Izzy: "So Leshawna begins to remember that 'incident' at the confessional yesterday...but she _is_ willing to put it aside for now. Guess Zeke needs to keep his guard up just in case. And it seems the team's man candy may actually be dangerous. The thot plickens!"

Leshawna: *She is sitting with arms crossed. A little slip of paper rests between two of her fingers* "I had been wondering about how the votes played out last night and the more I think about it, the more dangerous that hot stud..." *She trails off wistfully then snaps out of it* "seems...I mean is."

* * *

Heather, meanwhile, was fuming on the steps of her team's cabin.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Heather: "The more I have observed our team the more annoying it becomes. My plan was simple: find two people on the team dumb enough or desperate enough to do everything I tell them for a promise to reach the final three.

Unfortunately, as much as I hate to admit it, none of the losers on my team fall into either of those categories as far as I can see. The fart machine Owen might be the sole exception, but he has spent all his time with Noah and Cody and I doubt he can be separated from them easily.

This means I will have to forge an alliance with someone where I will have to at least..." *visible gulp* "appear to work in an equal partnership." *She defiantly crosses her arms and smiles wickedly at the camera* "But as difficult as the situation may seem, I am confident in my abilities to win this game. The extra challenge will just make my inevitable victory all the sweeter. But who to work with..."

* * *

Heather heard footsteps approaching and turned to see a punk with a green mohawk ogling her.

"Hey gorgeous." He said with a wink.

Heather was about to give a smart comeback when a new thought cut her short.

* * *

**Confessional****:**

Heather: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" *She apparently has been shouting 'no' for some time and pauses to catch her breath* "Ugh. The stupid things I have to do to win this game. I wanted to avoid this way of making alliances, but it seems there are no other options. I better win that million."

Duncan: "Did you see the look she gave me?" *He laughs* "She totally wants me." *He begins to stroke his chin* "Wonder how many other babes I can snag in this game..."

* * *

"Hello yourself, handsome." Heather replied, her sexy come-hither smile masking her gag reflex.

The punk smiled broadly at the queen bee. "So, you doing anything? I noticed the confessional was empty." He added with a wiggle of the uni-brow.

Heather barely contained a shudder. "Tempting...but I am not letting you get me that easily. I need your help with something."

"Is that so? What do you need my help with?" His voice was did not betray his thoughts. "I make no promises to help."

"Of course I would never _force_ you to do anything you did not want to." She batted her eyes and put a large, seductive smile on her face. "But I was sure a strong, hot guy like you could help a poor girl out."

"Too bad for you I'm no gentleman. You'll just have to find some other loser to help the damsel in distress."

"Not a gentleman you say?" Heather's previously innocent smile became more devious. "Then I think we will get along well."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Duncan: "Man that chick is crazy. I hope I don't regret working with her. But what can I say, she's hot and she's clearly into yours truly. Win for me."

Heather: "Hopefully roping in a second 'alliance' member will not be nearly as...repulsive." *She shudders*

* * *

After some searching, Gwen had managed to find a secluded glen in the forest where she could think in peace. She couldn't help but notice the setting's potential for a painting. She pulled out her diary and lightly tapped her chin with her pencil.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Gwen: "So yeah, this camp pretty much sucks. But since I'm here, I might as well try to win."

*She taps her finger against her chin*

"I hope we manage to vote off at least one of the screeching harpies on our team. I don't think I will get a good night sleep as long as Courtney and Heather are going at it constantly. At least Bridgette seems genuinely nice, but considering what we are here for in the first place, 'nice' could easily be an act. Eva is quiet and has yet to get involved in any squabbles, so I guess she is ok, even if her emotionless demeanor gives me the creeps."

* * *

Gwen was pulled forcibly from her thoughts when Eva walked by. The athletic girl was lifting weights while walking across the glen, oblivious to her gothic teammate, and had her headphones plugged in and blaring loud enough that Gwen could make out the occasional word.

Eva noticed Gwen and acknowledged her with a slight nod of the head then walked away without a word.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Gwen: "Nope, not sure what to make of her at all."

"Anyways, it is only a matter of time till we see how 'nice' the team is when we lose a challenge. I have my doubts. After all, everyone here hopes to walk away with the million, so are any of us really willing to give it up when the time comes just to be 'nice'? Could I?"

* * *

Justin sat on a beach chair by the lake shore trying to admire his reflection in a mirror but ultimately unable to bring himself to look at his thoughtful expression. Sure there were things on his mind that needed considering, but why must scrunched eyebrow look so ugly? He could feel the eyes of four of his girl teammates boring holes into his back as they stared from a not-to-polite distance.

"Could you ladies do me a favor?" The model inquired without turning to face them.

"Of course, anything for you, Justin! EEEEEEEEEEE!" Katie and Sadie shouted in unison.

"I heard from Chris that a rare...um...plant grows on the far side of the island that will do wonders for my skin. But it will require several hours of searching at best to find. Would you please get it for me?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes." The pink twins cheered before running off.

With a nearly inaudible sigh he continued. "Lindsay, you don't have to stay back there, why don't you pull up a chair and we can work on our tans."

"Yay! I got some great tanning lotion back at the cabin. I'll be back in a moment." The blonde bounced off in glee, unaware of the model's gaze following her every move.

"Need me to do anything, Juthtin?"

"Hmm. I suppose if you remain quiet you can sit behind Lindsay and me." Justin barely seemed to notice her presence.

"Oh..Ok." Beth was happy for the chance to sit with the model even if she did not seem quite as thrilled as the other girls. When Lindsay had not returned after a minute, she decided to strike up a conversation.

"Can't believe Geoff would do that to uth."

"Mmmmhmmm."

"I know you thaw him fiddling with the heater, but maybe the explothion wath an acthident? He thertainly theemed nith enough."

"Intentional or no, he failed the team. Him and DJ. But I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Just trust my judgment." There was no hint of any emotion in his voice as he continued. "We lost the first challenge which puts us at a disadvantage. If we want to win, we cannot allow any failures. We must be perfect."

Beth nodded her head in agreement and looked like she wanted to reply, but Lindsay's return ended the conversation. The farm girl was more than happy to be able to enjoy the sun with her teammates without worrying about the future.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Tyler had just finished a jog though the forest and was exiting from the communal bathroom after taking a shower, annoyed to see that Lindsay was still with Justin, who had given the jock a cold glare when he walked by. As the red wearing teen approached the Bass cabin, he saw Ezekiel sitting on the steps by himself, lost in thought.

"Hey man, what you doing?" The jock asked.

"Just sitting here." The prairie teen seemed confused by his teammate's question.

"Uh, that's not exactly what I meant dude."

"Oh." Ezekiel looked down in shame at his ignorance.

"Don't sweat it dude, I'm sure you'll get the hang of modern lingo soon." Tyler replied with a smile. He looked around for a moment before continuing "Where's Izzy?"

"She claimed she had a 'solo mission' to undertake. I wonder what it is, eh?"

"Well if you don't know, I doubt anyone else does. This is the first time I remember seeing you guys apart. Well, besides last night."

"I suppose your right, I hadn't thought about it much."

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed. How could anyone not notice her crazy antics?"

"She's not crazy!" Ezekiel's exclaimed.

Tyler was startled by the outburst. "Calm down, man. I wasn't saying she was crazy, only that some of her behavior is. No need to be so defensive."

"Sorry, eh." The prairie teen sighed. "I get the feeling that most of the others think badly of her."

"It's all good. I better go, though, talk to you later." With a quick wave, the jock made a hasty retreat and disappeared into the cabin.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Tyler: "Not sure what to make of Ezekiel. Or Izzy. Maybe that is why they hang together." *He scrunches his eyebrows in concentration before a light bulb all but goes off overhead* "Maybe I can get their help to get rid of Justin. I will get Lindsay to notice me yet." *He points menacingly at the screen* "Just watch."

Ezekiel: "I hope I didn't make a bad impression. I've already managed to make one enemy." *He stares blankly at the camera for a few seconds* "Coulda been worse. Thank God for Izzy, eh." *Another pause before a worried expression crosses his face. He whispers to the camera* "I probably should be worried by her willingness to knock a teammate unconscious to save someone she hardly knows, though."

* * *

Ezekiel exited the confessional and heard a loud *whoosh* sound coming from above. He instinctively grabbed for his toque only to find it missing.

"To slow, Zeke." Izzy called back as she swung away on a convenient vine.

The prairie teen took off in pursuit but quickly lost sight of his quarry. He sighed in defeat and decided to wait for Izzy to return on her own instead of chasing her to exhaustion like he had yesterday.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The scene changes back to Chris.

"I hope you enjoyed this insight into what the contestants do when we aren't forcing them through crazy challenges. We figure the chance for the viewers to get to know the campers better will make the inevitable heartbreak all the worse when your favorite contestant gets voted off."

"But now we must move on. Don't go away, we will be right back with the second challenge of Total! Drama! Island!"

* * *

End Notes

* * *

Looks like this is a long show...

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I figured the theme song was an interesting way of giving my readers a small glance at what is to come. Just don't take everything at face value. Feel free to start the wild mass guessing...now. Or now. Now would work as well if you're not too busy. I might change it at some point mid-season, we'll see.

On a slightly more serious note, this chapter was a bit of an experiment. Considering that the awake-a-thon (spoiler, it's the next challenge) is a great challenge for talking, I could have just jumped right into that and have had most of the above conversations take place during that challenge, but I figured it would be more interesting to see what the campers are doing in their off time. And some of what the campers did in this chapter (specifically Courtney and Heather's strategies) make far more sense if they made their moves as quickly as possible while the campers are still forming their opinions of one another. And considering how many campers there are this early in the competition, the extra space and time this chapter provides is invaluable.

I have to hand it to Heather. She may repeatedly stoop to new lows to bring misery to others and all that, but she has never (or at least rarely) tried to use her looks as leverage in the same way Justin or Alejandro do. Sure she kissed Trent but that was about it. She certainly knows she looks good, so the question is what would it take for her to feel she _needs_ to use her looks to win. Very little in the actual show. But then, in the second two seasons she only lasted as long as she did because of luck and teammates self-destructing, not as much because of her wits or through the same manipulation she used in the first season.

As always, please leave your thoughts in the reviews, I always love reading them.


	4. Chapter 4: Sleep - Part 1

Disclaimer: The story thou art about to read, while containing ideas and themes I would like to believe are somewhat original, does not use any original characters or settings of mine own. They are the property of Telle-a-toon.

Rating: I probably should have said this at the beginning, but if it isn't obvious now, you can expect some mild swearing, cartoon violence, and potentially some suggestive scenes further down the road but nothing to crazy. Highly unlikely to go further than that.

Author's Notes: After the interlude in the last chapter, we can finally move on to the second challenge. I understand last chapter was a bit different, but I am just as eager to hear what you didn't like as what you did like. Both help me improve as a writer. Thanks to all those who left a review.

Originally I was going to release the entire challenge as a single chapter, but instead of making you guys wait another week or more for the whole thing, I decided to release the first part now (which is probably 40-45% of the total length). The second part should be up much sooner accordingly.

* * *

**Chapter 4**: **Sleep is for the Sleepy - Part 1**

* * *

The screen fades in from black and we see Chris hunched over a panel covered in buttons.

"And we're back. It's time to get on with what your all here for, today's challenge. Through the valiant, self-sacrificing effort of our interns we were able to come up with some of the most obnoxious and painful wake up calls possible."

The host presses one of the buttons, grinning wickedly all the while. The screen shifts to one of the cabin interiors. Nothing can be heard and none of the campers are moving. Without warning, a loud cymbal crash reverberates through the speakers hidden in the walls, sending the teens inside tumbling out of their bends, clasping their ears in agony.

"Damn your Chris Mclean!" Came a chorus of shouts in reply from the occupants transmitted to the speakers in the host's command center.

"I love my job." Chris rubbed his hands together and let out an evil chuckle before picking up a nearby microphone.

"Attention campers, you are to report front and center outside the cabins in five minutes. If you're late your team automatically loses today's challenge." The host's voice was carried to the four cabin rooms which immediately erupted in flurries of activity. Clothes flew around the rooms, some contestants nearly trampled in the scuffle; the dull roar of voices pumped into Chris' command center was almost loud enough to send him flying backwards. The host was in heaven.

Four minutes and fifty-five seconds later all the campers were standing in with their teams in front of the cabins. While all of them had managed to put on their characteristic outfits in time, that was about all. Hair was uncombed, makeup was unapplied, shoes were untied. Mr. Maclean could barely keep himself from laughing.

"Glad none of you were late or this would have been one short challenge." Chris called over the camp's omnipresent megaphone system. "You're going to start today's activities off with a run to the dining hall..."

The campers all turned their heads as one to look at their goal only a couple hundred meters away.

"Via the scenic route! Also known as the rest of the island."

With a chorus of groans and quick glares at the host, the campers headed off on their run.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Noah: *His arms are crossed* "I don't run."

* * *

Noah and Owen were walking at a slow, steady pace as neither particularly felt like running. The bookworm looked around for Cody and noticed his friend was shadowing Gwen. He wasn't the only one.

"The dweeb thinks she's going to pay any attention to him?" Duncan snarled as he passed by. "He went after Malibu first and now he's hitting on Pasty. Next he'll be hitting on the Princess."

"So good to hear the opinion of the greatest ladies' man here. Feeling threatened, Duncan? Feel like less of a man?" Noah jeered.

The punk did an about face and lunged at the bookworm. "Try saying that to my face, nerd!"

Before Duncan could lay a finger on Noah, he was encircled by two giant arms.

"Calm down, dude. Don't hurt my little buddy!" Owen's cried out.

"Fine...Fine!" The punk gasped from within his teammate's bear hug.

"No hard feelings, right?" The large teen asked sheepishly as he let go.

"No." Duncan could barely contain his annoyance. When Owen walked on, he turned to Noah and muttered "Just wait till you don't have that lard ball to save you."

"You sure are good at the 'make lots of enemies' game and even with the stiff competition in our team, I think you will come out on top."

"I know what I'm doing, just stay out of my way." Duncan took off at a run, determined to make it back to the mess hall quickly.

"Right..." Noah stared after the punk with suspicion. He chuckled when he noticed that Cody had just started making moves on Gwen.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Gwen walked off to the side of the slower group, trying to avoid talking to anyone. The goth had hoped to chat with Bridgette who seemed to Gwen to be one of the few other sane people on the team, but the surfer, along with Trent, had run after Courtney when she took off at breakneck speed the second Chris said go. In fact, Bridgette had been hanging almost exclusively with the shrill CIT the past couple days when she wasn't teaching Cody how to surf, much to Gwen's annoyance.

"Hey Gwen, what ya doing?"

"What do you want, Cody?" Gwen replied with a snarl.

"Um..." The geek was taken aback by her tone, but only for a moment. "Just saying hi. If we're on the same team we should get to know each other, right?"

"Only if absolutely necessary."

"O come on, it will be fun! I'll start. Let's see, I'm a single child, I love technology, I have quite the sweet tooth, I..."

"Would you just shut up?"

"But...I..."

"I don't want to talk to you. Just beat it."

Without another word, Gwen stormed off down the trail and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Good job, Casanova. How you don't have five girls on each arm is beyond me." Noah walked up behind Cody, chuckling all the way, and put his hand on the geek's shoulder.

"Thanks for the moral support." Cody shot his friend a quick glare.

"Always good to see another learn the joys of sarcasm. That said, you're never going to get to her that way."

What makes you the expert anyways?" Cody sighed, a hint of indignation in his voice.

"A family of textbook psychology cases."

Cody couldn't help but chuckle. "Whatever, I guess I will catch up with Gwen later."

"Cody," Noah suddenly became serious, "if you're ever going to have a chance with her, then don't push it. You gave a bad first impression and hanging on her now will not help you."

"But what did I do wrong?"

"Believe it or not, not everyone likes an excessively eager puppy."

"Ok, if you say so."

"I do. Don't worry, if you're lucky you will have weeks on end to woo the fair maiden."

"Yay, verily, yay?"

The pair laughed heartily at the movie reference.

"Thanks for the advice, man."

"Always willing to help a friend floundering in the morass of affection."

"Any particular reason you're waxing eloquent today?"

Noah merely shrugged in response, then looked around to see that everyone else save Owen was out of sight. The large teen had clearly lost his will to continue already.

"Cody, what do you bet I can get us a free ride to the mess hall, guaranteed to beat the other team?"

"That seems unlikely." Cody raised an eyebrow.

"Then, just do as I do young padawan..."

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Tyler had started off slowly, holding himself back to keep pace with Lindsay and her friends in an attempt to show off his running skills, and so far he managed to avoid tripping over his own feet. After several minutes of being ignored, though, he decided to take off on his own down the path. Shortly thereafter, he heard a voice.

"Hey, Tyler!" The voice came from just off the trail from what looked like an alcove shielded from view by convenient bushes.

"What?" The jock walked towards the sound and suddenly found himself surrounded by strong arms which pulled him into the alcove.

"Shhhhh!" Hissed Leshawna. "Sorry bout that Tyler, but we can't risk being seen."

As soon as he was released from the bear hug, the red suited teen turned to see his former captor DJ on his knees behind him, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Yeah, sorry, we probably could have done that better." The brickhouse confided.

"Anyways," The sister continued before Tyler could speak, "We are worried that Justin is using the other girls on the team to vote out everyone else one by one." She paused a moment to let what she said sink in. "DJ and I agree that we have to get rid of him before he gets rid of someone else not under his sway. Cause if he gets rid of one more of us then we are all goners."

"Sounds good to me." The jock responded without hesitation.

"I know you may...what? You agreed that easily?" Leshawna's incredulity was written all over her face.

"Yep. I am never going to get Lindsay to notice me while the perfect model is around."

The other's both grinned at this response.

"Well, here's to your success _after_ we get rid of the man candy." She poked her head through the leaves and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw nobody.

"I am going to need you to speak to Ezekiel about this. I don't think he trusts me for some reason and I don't want to ruin our chances because of it."

"Uh, sure, I guess. I am not good at this sort of thing though."

"Don't sweat it, man." DJ gave Tyler a reassuring pat on the back. "I am sure you can do it."

Leshawna risked another glance at the trail. "We better get going while the coast is clear; this is a race after all."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Leshawna: That went better than expected. I wish Tyler's support wasn't due to jealousy, but at this point I will take what I can get.

* * *

A little ways back along the trail, Duncan was jogging at a quick pace when he heard a loud hiss come from the bushes nearby. When he went to investigate, he was pulled behind the bushes.

When he saw who it was he couldn't help but smirk and wiggle his uni-brow. "I would love to make out too, gorgeous, but there is a challenge to win."

"In your dreams." Heather's disgust was plainly written across her face.

"Got you covered there." Another wiggle of the uni-brow.

"Ugh. Control your hormones. There are some more important things to worry about." She rolled her eyes and glanced back at the road. "We need to get a third member in this alliance pronto which will never happen if _you_ antagonize everyone on the team. There will be plenty of time to bring pain to these losers when our position is more secure."

"Eh, I don't usually go for that kind of action, but if you can get another girl as pretty as you then I might go for it. What about that hot CIT?"

One could all but see the steam coming out of the queen bee's ears.

"Relax, hot stuff. I know what you mean. But the look on your face is too much to pass up."

"Just don't make me regret working with you. Cause if you do I will make sure you leave the island."

"I'm scared now."

"You should be." The queen bee let out a long, condescending sigh. "I doubt you have any good ideas, but who would you get to join the alliance if it were up to you?"

"Definitely..."

"And don't say Courtney, she already has two losers following her everywhere."

"Aww. As a second choice I would go with...hmm." The punk stroked his chin thoughtfully but didn't say anything for half a minute.

"Don't hurt yourself." The queen bee wore a large smirk of her own. "Leave the thinking to me. The only people who aren't in a tight group already are..." She looked like she was mentally reviewing everyone on the team. "Weird Goth Girl and that dweeb Harold."

"I wouldn't mind working with Pasty."

"Well I cannot stand her, so no way am _I_ working with her."

"And I cannot stand Harold either."

"You're impossible. Do you really think Gwen would want to work with me?"

"I doubt dork face will be thrilled to work with me."

"Gah, I need time to think."

Without another word, Heather pushed through the bushes hiding them from view and stormed off down the path. Duncan trailed close behind taking great pleasure from watching her walk.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Duncan: "I love it when girls act tough. She better not think I'm gonna work with that loser nerd, though."

Heather: "I will be sure to depose of that tool as soon as he is of no further use." *She pounds her fist into the palm of her other hand* "I still need to get someone else in this alliance, someone who is easier to control and has unshakable loyalty to moi." *She rubs her hands together and smirks then a light-bulb goes off over her head* "Duncan doesn't need to know if I'm working with Harold at the same time. Not that I look forward to working with that loser either, but he has to be easier to deal with than the hormone driven punk." *She stares directly at the camera* "And for anyone wondering, don't think I've forgotten the freak who tossed me over the cliff last challenge. She will pay."

* * *

Chris sat in the dining hall, checking his watch every couple minutes while Chef prepared a meal for the campers. A large red curtain had been hung from the ceiling which hid half the room from those entering.

"Wanna bet on which team is going to get here first?" The host asked.

"Hmm. Are we definen 'first team' as the first team with a member here or first team with all their members here? "

Before Chris could reply, the two men were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. They were shocked considering it was less than an hour into the 20k jog. The door nearly flew off its hinges when it was opened.

"Impressive, Eva. Most Impressive." The host congratulated, just managing to hide his surprise with his cheesy smile.

The athlete did not acknowledge the compliment. She simply walked to the end of her teams table and continued listening to her headset.

"Well Chef, I guess it's whichever team gets all its members here first. Ten dollars says The Screaming Gophers arrive first."

"You only said that cause they got someone here already. That said, if the Gopher's didn't have the fatso and scrawny kids, I wouldn't take you up on the bet. But I am willen ta bet ten dollars that the Bass get here first."

About fifteen minutes later, more steps could be heard accompanied by loud panting.

"You...certainly...tripped...allot, Bridgette. Why...are...you...so...damn...clumsy? Ugh!" Came an all too familiar high pitched whine.

"That...isn't...fair, Courtney. I only tripped...four times." The surfer sounded quite hurt.

"You really need...to chill, Court." Trent held the door open for the girls, taking a quick peek inside while doing so. "See, only Eva's here. I guess we didn't need to run so fast after all."

"We cannot give the other team a chance to catch up!"

The musician cocked his eyebrow and gestured at the nearly empty room. "Yeah...I think we could have taken it a bit easier."

"Whatever. Let's hope the rest of the team shows up soon. I wonder where the water is..." While the CIT set off on her search, Bridgette and Trent took up seats in the middle of the Gopher table.

Trent looked at the surfer with mild concern. "Are you ok? Courtney seemed rather annoyed."

"I'm fine." She let out a sigh before continuing. "I keep telling myself that she has to be a nice person on the inside. She probably has been through a lot."

"Even if you're right that is no excuse for her to treat you badly. I have met girls like her back at school and they tend to burn themselves out. And make few friends."

The conversation quickly ended when their friend returned, 3 water bottles in hand.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Courtney: *She is rubbing the back of her neck* "Considering we arrived before anyone on the other team, I should have been a little less hard on Bridgette. I need her on my side after all. That doesn't excuse her clumsiness though."

Bridgette: "I hope I'm right about Courtney..."

Trent: "I hope Bridgette knows what she's getting into. But I suppose if anyone could get through to Courtney, she could. All the same..." *He sighs and starts to massage his forehead* "I hope that I get a real chance to talk to Gwen today. I have been keeping my distance so far, giving her time to adjust and hopefully forget our rough start the other day, but I have a feeling this challenge will present a good opportunity to finally chat."

* * *

Less than a minute later, a red suited teen tripped on the steps of the dining hall and crashed through the door, taking it off its hinges. Tyler picked himself up and crawled to his team's empty table.

"Bout time one of you guys showed up." Chef growled. He picked up the door and leaned it against the wall then returned to the kitchen.

Without warning, a loud thud came from the roof. The poor roof, however, was designed with the absolute smallest budget possible and was unable to support anything heavier than leaves, twigs, and the occasional squirrel. Two forms came crashing through the ceiling, one still holding a vine.

"Hi guys! Ooo, whatever your making Chef, it smells divine." The red-headed dervish called out.

"Finely I get some respect for all my hard work." The man muttered.

"Why didn't we just use the door, eh?" The prairie teen grimaced in pain while rubbing his foot.

"Come on Zekey, where's the fun in that?"

"I don't think Chris appreciates us destroying part of the roof."

"You worry too much. That kind of entrance can only boost ratings!" The pair sat at the end of their teams table

The next two contestants to enter were Leshawna and DJ who took a quick scan of the room noting the absence of a certain model and the state of Tyler.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Leshawna: "Maybe depending on Tyler to be a diplomat was a bad idea. I really should do this myself."

* * *

Drawing herself up, the sister sat down next to Izzy and Ezekiel.

"Look guys, I'm not exactly sure what has happened between us..." She began.

"But for the moment we have to work together to get rid of the man candy before he gets rid of us. Sounds like a plan to me, right Zeke?" Izzy interrupted. The prairie boy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah...wait, howd you know?"

"Izzy hears all." The red haired girl exclaimed, waving her hands in the air and making vaguely spooky ghost sounds. She froze when she heard a new voice.

"Did I hear shouting?" Justin looked at his team with a raised eyebrow, receiving only glares and silence in reply, before sitting down, closely trailed by Lindsay and Beth. Tyler looked like he wanted to move closer to Lindsay but he couldn't muster the courage with the model sitting so close by.

"Might as well pay up now, pretty boy!" Chef hollered from the kitchen. "No way the Bass come in second now."

"Patience, Chef, patience. I have faith the Gopher's will show up soon" The host called back unable to hide a slight quiver in his voice.

"Ughh. Would you just shut up! Why are you following me anyways?" Another all too familiar high pitched voice floated in from outside.

"Last time I checked, you could have walked away at any time. Yet you did not." Someone wheezed.

A third voice added itself to the mix. "Whoops!" Moments later a loud thud could be heard.

"Not funny, Duncan. Not funny!"

"Oh, on the contrary, it was quite funny."

A fourth voice joined the fray, this one from inside the cabin.

"What took you guys so long; the other team has almost won the challenge."

"Calm down, princess, we're here now."

"Don't talk to me like that you ogre!" The CIT rose out of her seat and looked ready to pummel Duncan. The punk did not seem at all worried.

"Courtney, you're just playing along if you respond like that." Bridgette pulled her friend back into her seat.

"I...suppose." The mocha skinned girl growled. She continued to stare balefully at Duncan who still seemed unfazed.

The contestants made small talk while they waited and it was another several minutes before the next camper arrived. Gwen strolled up the steps and into the dining hall, sketchbook in hand. The goth found a bit up her team's table where she could still be somewhat separated from the other, causing Trent to quietly sigh. Courtney was still too annoyed at Duncan to call out Gwen for her slow pace.

Chris and Chef's eyes were glued to the door, ears pealed, hoping to hear the sound of approaching campers.

Without warning, the earth began to shake as if a giant was out for a stroll nearby. Most could guess, and a handful smell, who was coming.

Despite the distance, through the windows one could see two small, slumped forms draped over Owen's shoulders.

"Clear a table, stat!" Owen yelled as soon as he barged into the dining hall. He ran over to his team's now vacated table and place Noah and Cody on it. The two were only slightly breathing.

"What happened?" Bridgette cried out as she ran over.

"I don't know." Owen sobbed. "We were walking here when Noah called out it pain and both he and Cody fell over. So I grabbed them and ran here as fast as I could." He gasped for lack of air then continued to sob. "My little buddies. WHY!"

"We'll let Chef take them to the medical tent." Chris pocketed a ten dollar bill he had just snatched from Chef's limp hand while he spoke. "The rest of you are about to be treated to a meal unlike any seen before...or any seen here at least."

The host pulled a rope and the curtain which had hidden half the room parted to reveal a vast turkey buffet.

"Wait a thecond. We still have two people mithing."

"So?"

"What if they got lotht or thomthing?"

Before the host could come up with another way of expressing his lack of regard for the pink twins, the missing pair entered the cabin, arms covered in red rashes.

"Sorry we're late guys, we figured while we on the other side of the island we should try again to find some of those plants Justin mentioned." Katie began.

"But we still couldn't find any and we got these itchy rashes instead." Sadie finished.

"Just sit down girls; we already have two campers in the medical tent. You will need to wait your turn." Chris sighed.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Gwen: After three days of eating Chef's brown sludge, I almost cried when I saw that buffet. It seemed almost too good to be true.

Owen: *His mouth is hanging open allowing a small trickle of drool to escape. This doesn't stop him from letting out a small sob.*

* * *

Chef had grumbled the whole way to the medical tent, whispering threats to 'pretty boy' and making promises of retribution.

After wheeling the two stretchers in, he realized some supplies were missing so he set off towards to store room.

The moment he left, Noah opened an eye. "Well, that went according to plan."

"I guess, though I feel bad about deceiving Owen. He sounded very worried." Cody's eyebrows were furrowed.

"How long do you think it would have taken us, let alone Owen, to walk here? You saw the pace we were going. We got a free ride and Owen got motivation." The bookworm twisted his neck to get out a crick.

"But when he finds out we faked it, won't everyone be mad at us?"

"Not if they don't figure it out." Noah began rubbing his chin. "We just have to hang here long enough to make our recovery time look realistic. And we will want excuses for collapsing that don't make us seem less valuable to the team in the future."

"How long did it take you to plan this?" Cody inquired with raised eyebrow.

"It was actually fairly spur of the moment for me. Maybe ten seconds give or take." The bookworm's tone was very matter of fact. His ear twitched. "I think I hear chef coming back. We should 'come to' in another half an hour or so. We need to make sure he's around to witness our 'recovery'."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Chris: "Of course we have a camera in the medical tent. Most devious Noah, most devious."

Cody: "I have to admit, sometimes Noah scares me. I don't know if I can go through with this plan."

* * *

Back in the dining hall, the famished campers were having their fill of turkey, blissfully unaware of Chris' evil grin and fiendish chuckles.

Nearly half an hour later, Noah and Cody stumbled back to their team's table. Their return went unnoticed for several minutes due to the glory of the turkey dinner.

"Aw, my buddies are back." Owen, who of all people was the first to notice, wrapped one of his arms around each of them. "I was soooooo worried."

"We couldn't have made it without your help Owen." Noah gave his large friend a pat on the back before redirecting the conversation. "Now let's get back to eating this delicious looking buffet."

But there entrance would not go unquestioned.

"So, what happened to you losers?" Heather called down the table much too loud for the boy's liking. "We cannot have weaklings holding the team back."

"Lay off them, Heather." Bridgette retorted. "I doubt they want to talk about such a traumatic experience right now."

The queen bee glared at the surfer then back at the boys. "Fine, but don't think you're getting off the hook that easy."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Heather: "No way did those two happen to 'pass out' at the exact same time and then conveniently get a free ride from Owen. At least one of them is more devious than I realize and I cannot help but applaud such manipulation. Doesn't mean I won't find a way to draw the ire of the team down on them. So nice of them to set themselves up as easy targets. Thanks boys." *She gives a little wave to the camera*

Cody: "Even if this doesn't backfire, I still feel bad about using Owen like that."

Noah: "Cody worries too much. We did what we had to."

* * *

The rest of lunch passed without indecent and soon the campers were lined up just outside the dining hall, the majority holding their stomachs and giving sighs of contentment and assorted gurgles (though all of the later were from Owen).

"Well I hope you enjoyed the activities this morning because it's time for today's challenge." Chris chuckled at the chorus of groans he received in reply. "Luckily for you guys, this is another easy one. I call it: THE AWAKEATHON!"

"The what now?" Leshawna asked.

"The rules are simple, last team with a camper still awake wins. Losers get to send someone home. So let's head over to the campfire pit."

"You mean the run followed by the turkey dinner was all a set up to make it harder for us to stay awake?" Gwen inquired incredulously.

"Yep."

"Damn he's good."

* * *

**End Notes**:

* * *

I know this chapter was shorter than usual but hopefully the knowledge that the next part should come sooner will provide some small consolation.

A virtual cookie if someone knows what Danny Kay movie the line is from. That man is a comedy genius.

Will Heather's alliance plans pan out? Will the truth of Noah and Cody's hitchhiking come to light? Will Trent get a chance to finally talk to Gwen and why has he been hanging with Bridgette and Courtney? Will Leshawna's master plan to counter Justin work? Will X and Y have a meaningful conversation about Z? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out. And please please please please leave reviews. Pretty please.


	5. Chapter 5: Sleep - Part 2

Disclaimer: *Insert clever word play about my non-ownership of anything Total Drama related in the story here.*

Author's Notes: Here is the second part of the second challenge. Get ready for an action packed thrill ride of...lots of talking and sitting. Thanks again to all of you who left reviews. And I r not crazy, kutiekat44, just thorough.

I guess nobody could (or tried to) guess the Danny Kay movie the line was from. *sniff* I cannot say I am too surprised as it is a somewhat older movie (1956). It is from one of his best comedies: Court Jester. I recommend it to anyone who feels like having a good clean laugh.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Sleep is for the Sleepy - Part 2**

* * *

The campers sat around the fire pit, many looking bored out of their minds, others figuring the best way to stay awake was to chat with their friends.

Trent noticed a certain teammate was sitting by herself and decided to seize the opportunity presented. He took a stump next to Gwen and looked for a way to break the ice, going with the first thing that came to mind.

"How long do you think it's going to be till everybody is out cold?"

"An hour." The goth replied after a quick scan of the group. "Maybe less."

"I suppose after jumping off a cliff, this isn't too bad..." The musician mused before an awkward silence could settle in.

"Maybe, but this still seems like a lame idea Chris came up with at the last possible moment. Who can stay awake the longest? Really?"

"True enough. But who knows, I might even enjoy this challenge." A smile started to creep onto Trent's face.

"Right." The look she gave him indicated she thought he belonged in a straitjacket.

"Well, it gives me a chance to talk to you." The words seemed to escape Trent's mouth without his permission.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Trent: "Way too forward, man, way too forward. We did not get off to the best start so I need to be careful, especially from what I've heard of Cody's attempts earlier." *He hits himself on the forehead* "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" *He winces and rubs his forehead* "Just calm down and be yourself."

* * *

For a moment, Gwen did not reply. She turned her body to face the musician.

"Why are you so interested in talking to me all of a sudden anyways? We haven't talked or even acknowledged each other's existence at all the past couple days and from the amount of time you've spent around Bridgette and Courtney I'd think you'd be more interested in 'chilling' with one of them. Can't imagine why anyone would want to hang around her." She added as she motioned towards the CIT.

"It's not for her bright personality, I'll say that." Trent was pleased to see his comment had elicited a chuckle from Gwen. "It's true we haven't talked much, but after the first challenge I figured you wanted some space. But since the goal of this challenge is to stay awake as long as possible, I thought we might as well chat for a bit, get to know each other." Trent started rubbing the back of his neck. "To be perfectly honest, if it weren't for Bridgette, I doubt I would hang around Courtney at all. Everyone's favorite CIT did bring herself apologize to me the other day about her attitude during the first challenge, but I find it hard to believe she's genuine, much as I want to, when her behavior doesn't change. Not to mention I'm not really the person she needed to apologize to."

"Bridgette, however," he went on to say, "is always eager and willing to see the good in people. As admirable a quality as that is, I worry that she is too nice for her own good and will let herself be used by Courtney in the name of friendship, so I keep an eye on her considering I'm the only other person Courtney is willing to associate with for some reason."

Gwen seemed shocked by this revelation. "Really? I guess that's pretty nice of you, but I'm guessing you haven't told Bridgette yet."

"Yeah, I don't want her to think I'm paranoid. And I don't need Courtney shooting me glares either."

"So, without sounding to harsh and uncaring, why do you care? What is in it for you?"

Trent sighed loudly. "I suppose it's a fair enough question considering that here any act of kindness could be a plan to get ahead. The fact is, like Bridgette, I like to find the best in people. Maybe I am overreacting, but this brings back bad memories and I don't want to think later that I could have prevented something." The musician shot a concerned glance at the surfer who was chatting with a certain brunette. He turned back to the girl beside him, his face noticeably less serious. "Anyways, enough gloom for the moment. So tell me, what is your favorite movie?"

Gwen seemed a bit more at ease as she shifted her weight to get comfortable. "You're going to think it's silly."

"Promise I won't." Trent held his hand over his heart.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Trent: "I would say that went well overall."

Gwen: "I really am surprised. And somewhat mystified. Not sure what to make of his willingness to share his worries with a relative stranger. I was sure Trent was just another popular guy who used the 'nice' retinue to make it with the ladies." *She crosses her arms and leans back* "Got more than enough of those back home. But, as he said, there is nothing better to do during this idiotic challenge, so I might as well make conversation. It has got to be better than talking to Cody."

* * *

Back on the other side of the campfire pit, Cody eyed Trent and Gwen with some concern. He sighed loudly before noticing that Bridgette was alone for the moment.

"I think I should tell her what really happened earlier."

"Why?" Noah questioned, still engrossed by his reading.

"She was very concerned about us. If I had known what seeing us like that would put her through, I wouldn't have done it."

"Right, how did anything she do indicate some kind of deep and unique worry for us? Besides, you honestly think it the heat of the moment, unsure of whether the run was the challenge and whether we might lose it for our team, you would have made a different choice?"

"That is the point isn't it. I did make the choice and I clearly shouldn't have. I need to tell her the truth."

"You realize that telling her the truth means she, and potentially the rest of the team, will get annoyed at both of us. Do you want to get kicked off?"

"Well, no." The geek seemed to waver for a moment before regaining his courage. "But that doesn't change anything. Honesty is the best policy."

"Then by all means, have at it Romeo. I think you exaggerate how worried she was. I bet she cares that much about everyone."

"That has nothing to do with it, dude. We abused her feelings, even if accidentally and not that much, and _one_ of us needs to tell her the truth. It can't be worse than if she finds out on her own."

"You're incorrigible."

"Thanks for the encouragement, pal." Cody's voice was filled with uncharacteristic anger.

"I seem to be rubbing off on you." Noah's sarcastic grin was making a show of force.

Without saying another word, the geek turned around and marched towards Bridgette, unaware of Noah's dark chuckle.

As his friend left in a huff, the bookworm saw Owen pacing back and forth, reassuring himself that he could stay awake in his sleep. The egghead's chuckle became louder and noticeably lighter.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Chris: "I bet Cody would feel even worse if he knew the only reason surfer chick did not keep watch in the tent the whole time he was 'recovering' was cause we didn't let her. Looks like it was that big a deal."

* * *

"Hey, Bridgette, you got a moment?"

"Always, Cody. Are you feeling better?" The surfer's concern was written all over her face.

"Yeah...about that. I...have a...confession to make." He took a deep breath and continued. "The fact is, nothing was wrong with me or Noah. We had fallen behind and were worried we might lose the challenge, so we came up with the plan to fake a fainting spell and get Owen to quickly carry us back." The cat out of the bag, Cody pulled himself into a ball and waited for the inevitable backlash.

The blonde did not respond; she was unreadable.

"I felt bad enough about deceiving the team, but when I saw your concern over me..." He started, but was unable to finish.

She did not break her silence for another minute. "Have you told Owen? He is the one you really hurt and deserves an apology more than me."

"No. You're the first person I told, though I know I need to tell everyone else, especially Owen." He slowly began to uncurl.

"Well, I guess since you know what you did was wrong and are clearly sorry for it, I forgive you. When are you going to tell the others?"

"After the challenge. I don't want to ruin our chances of winning."

"I suppose I can help you later if you want."

"Thanks." Cody breathed easier, a smile spread over his previously glum face.

"So does Noah feel the same way?"

"I can't say for certain whether he thinks it was wrong in principle." Cody admitted, obviously being careful with his word choice. "But he doesn't blame us for a decision made in the heat of the moment which we believed then was ultimately for the good of the team."

"So he's not really sorry?" Bridgette shot an uncharacteristic glare at the bookworm.

"No, no, I'm sure he is." The geek pleaded.

"Maybe your right. You should try talking to him more after the challenge."

"Yeah, I will. Want to talk about something else?"

"Sure."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Bridgette: "I would be lying to say I haven't lost some faith in Cody for the moment, but I respect him for being able to admit his mistake. And, if he follows through with his apologies, I think its safe to say my faith will be restored. I can't say the same about Noah. He sounds like a bad influence on Cody." *She sighs and shakes her head* "I am not usually this judgmental, maybe I am being overly harsh on him."

Cody: "I know I made Noah sound sorrier than he is. I just don't want to make things worse for him. I hope I did the right thing."

* * *

Upon returning from the restroom and seeing her two friends otherwise engaged, Courtney decided to do a little sleuthing. She stood in front of Noah, who was engrossed in yet another book, with arms crossed.

"So, feeling better are we?" She inquired with an accusing stare.

"Yes, quite. Your concern is most touching." The bookworm did not take his eyes from his reading.

"So what was it? Allergies, Sun stroke...or something else? We can't have anyone holding the team back."

"Why so quick to accuse? Have you so little trust it your teammates?" Noah placed a hand over his heart in feigned innocence.

"Don't play stupid. Just you or Cody would have been bad enough, but both of you? At the same time? That cannot be a coincidence. So answer me straight, what caused you to 'faint'."

"Supposing I did provide some motivation for Owen to get to lunch faster which conveniently provided transportation for Cody and myself as a side effect. What of it? It ultimately proved to be for the good of the team."

"Maybe, but how can you care so little about using a teammate like that?"

"Your one to talk."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't think your plan to use Bridgette and Trent to get yourself further in the game isn't blatantly obvious. They sure aren't hanging with you for your sunny disposition. At least my free ride from Owen helped all three of us get to lunch faster and, for all we knew, win the team the challenge."

"Don't change the subject from you to me. I came here to find out what happened, though it seems pretty obvious now." She poked him in the chest for emphasis.

"Do you really think everyone will look past your continual bossiness and overbearing attitude when they see you dragging Trent and Bridgette everywhere when they are just too nice to say no?" He did not seem interested in leaving this train of thought. "You expect me to take your accusations seriously when you continue your own manipulative plans? Let's just call it even and move on."

She did not look convinced. "Have you considered that maybe I _want_ to be friends with Bridgette?"

"For about five seconds. Nobody is that derogative to their friends all the time."

"Says the guy who used his 'friend' as a beast of burden."

"Touché. In my defense, I have yet to insult or deride him to his face."

"To his face?"

"Or at all." Noah sighed and closed his book.

"I don't need an alliance with a manipulative, slothful person to win."

Noah let lose a small chuckle and whipped out his trademarked smirk accompanied by a slow clap. "Another scathing and insightful analysis of my character. For the record, I don't recall asking for an alliance, that was your idea. I give up, do what you will Courtney. Just try not to annoy to many people along the way"

She did not look ready to drop the subject, but the bookworm gave her a dismissive wave and continued reading his book.

"You can't wave me off like that!" She hissed.

"I just did."

"This is far from over!" Courtney stormed back to her seat and shot death glares at Noah.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Courtney: *She can barely contain her rage and it looks like she has been swearing for some time* "Nobody talks to me like that! Nobody! I will make sure he pays!" *She pants from the exertions of shouting before her face becomes more serious* "Is my strategy that obvious?"

Noah: *He looks nonchalantly to the side of the camera* "If her 'revenge' is as effective as my older siblings', I have nothing to worry about. Thank you for all the training in dealing with arrogant blowhards, guys." *He looks directly at the camera and gives it a knowing wink* "Some people refuse to listen to reason. If I weren't worried about what Bridgett might have told Cody earlier, I wouldn't have bothered."

* * *

"Congratulations campers, you've reached the 12 hour mark and nobody has fallen asleep yet! How long do you think you can keep this up?" Chris called out over the megaphone system. As if by magic, the moment he let the words out of his mouth, Owen fell on his back and began to snore loudly. "Make that all but one of you are still awake. Will the Gophers lose this one?"

* * *

**Confessional**:

Heather: "Well, this looks to be as good a chance as any to talk to the dweeb."

* * *

"So, Harold, do you have what it takes to win?" Heather asked, actually managing a smile.

The nerd looked at her like she had three heads. "Do I have what it takes to win? You have yet to witness my mad skills. If you had, such a question would be unnecessary."

"A simple yes or no will do."

"Then I answer yes, milady." He stood up and gave an exaggerated bow.

"Good, cause I was looking for someone else to take with me to the final two."

"Aren't you already working with Duncan?" Harold accused.

"He thinks he is working with me. But I hate every second I spend with that disgusting cretin."

"Good to know someone else feels that way about that idiot. I will consider you offer, Heather. Out of curiosity, besides my mad skills, why did you come to me?"

"I'm sure you've noticed the alliances forming on the team. If either of us stand a chance, we need to work together. You better decide soon. And it better be the right answer!"

* * *

**Confessional**:

Harold: "She must take me for an idiot. I could probably count on one hand the number of times she told the truth. But she is right that I should ally with _someone_ here. But is working with her really the best idea?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Justin sat against a tree staring blankly towards the rest of the team. Izzy and Ezekiel were swapping stories, him of prairie life and her of her many adventures. DJ and Leshawna sat together, desperately trying to keep each other awake and throwing the occasional glare at the model. Tyler was the only member of the Bass who sat alone, staring at Lindsay and letting out a wistful sigh every couple minutes.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Justin: *He moves his hands up and down mimicking a scale. After a minute he stops, nods his head, and leaves*

Tyler: "Leshawna said it was best if we did not talk much in front of Justin so he doesn't catch wind of our alliance. Of all the challenges, you'd think this would be the one where I could finally talk to Lindsay. But nooo, she is still hanging all over that model. He has got to go!"

* * *

"Lindsay, could I talk to you for a moment? I need your help." The model inquired, putting on his best smile.

"Of course!" The blond was all too happy to be as close as she could to Justin. "I hope you don't need me to go and get those plants like you asked Satie and Kadie to the other day. They were in pain from bug bites and rashes for days." She clearly did not realize the implications of what she was saying.

"No, I would never give someone as pretty as you such a task." He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I simply worry that Tyler feels ignored and isolated. Why don't you bring go talk to him and bring him over here."

"Who is Taylor?"

Justin turned Lindsay around and pointed at the jock.

"Oh, right."

She sat down next to Tyler his face conveying his simultaneous shock and indescribable joy at finally being noticed.

"You okay, Taylor? You're all by yourself."

"I...I'm fine. Just...um...thinking." The red suited teen stuttered.

"Well why don't you think with us?" Without waiting for a reply Lindsay grabbed Tyler's hand and pulled him back to the group of girls who moved to make a space for him.

Justin gave the jock a warm smile before pulling out a mirror and admiring his reflection.

"So, Taylor? Tyler? What do you like doing most?"

The jock looked down at his sport suit, then back at the blonde, too enraptured by her beauty to be annoyed at her painfully ignorant remark.

"I like almost any sport. I have yet to try one I haven't liked." He gave himself a small thump on the chest with his fist, causing him to cough.

"You're so funny Taylor." Lindsay clasped her hands together and began giggling like a school girl.

And thus their exciting and stimulating conversation continued for some time. About an hour after the jock's arrival, Justin decided to make his move.

"Lindsay, could I talk to Tyler for a moment?"

"Wha..." She yawned, her eyelids hanging low. "Oh, sure."

The jock followed the model behind a nearby tree. Justin turned around, wearing one of his most genuine smiles.

"My friend, I can't help but notice you have a thing for Lindsay. She sure is something else."

"Yeah." Tyler emitted a sound that crossed a yawn and a sigh.

"And I think..." Justin barely stifled a yawn of his own "you two would work well together."

"Yeah...wait! You really think that?"

"Yes, I do. She is a very...sweet girl and it's clear you like her. You two should get a chance."

"Wow. I thought for sure..." Tyler looked ready to collapse in exhaustion.

"Just try to stay awake as long as you can. But even if we lose, I promise both of you will stay. I can only hope the rest of the team doesn't vote me off. Then they might go for Lindsay next out of spite. She could be very upset if I was voted off, especially if she thought you were involved."

"Out of spite..." The jock fell flat on his face, his snores giving him away immediately. Chef dragged Tyler away and Justin rejoined his team.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Justin: *He yawns in boredom and gives a grin most sinister*

Tyler: "Maybe he's..." *large yawn* "not so..." *even larger yawn* "bad after all."

* * *

Only a handful of contestants remained awake by thirty-six hour mark, but it seemed the Gopher's had the clear advantage. The only Bass remaining awake were Justin, who had been standing unblinking since the contest began, Beth, who had been spending the time admiring Justin's glorious physique through glazed eyes, Lindsay, who was chatting up where she though Tyler's slumped, snoring form lay, telling him about the latest in nail polish fashion though she seemed to be losing steam herself, and Leshawna who sat near the tree that collapsed when DJ had fallen asleep after tying himself to it.

On the Gopher's side, Trent and Gwen were stargazing while keeping each other awake, Duncan was admiring Courtney's prone form, Heather glared bleary eyed at her gothic teammate with the occasional malicious glance at Cody and Noah who were on their thirtieth odd game of chess (though the former barely seemed aware of what was going on around him), and Eva vacantly stared ever forward, listening to her music player.

"I'm going to the bathroom." The athletic girl stated matter of factly. She put away her headphones, stretched her arms behind her back then headed off. Unbeknownst to her, however, her beloved mp3 had fallen out of her pocket onto the ground. Most did not see it, but one of the teens did. Within seconds, a shadowy form had snatched away the device and headed back to their previous spot without anyone noticing. Despite her seemingly critical dependence on the gizmo, Eva did not notice its absence either upon her return.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Several hours later, those still awake were moved to a secluded part of the forest where a book stand had been set up with the largest bed time story book anyone had ever seen perched on top. Noah sat alone against a tree trying desperately to stay awake, Cody having fallen asleep earlier. Then one of the people he was least interested in talking to walked up behind him.

"I know that you and Cody faked fainting earlier." One could feel the malicious glee in Heather's voice despite her exhaustion.

"Is that so?" He did not even feel the need to face her.

"Yes, and if you don't want everyone to find out, I suggest you do everything I tell you."

"Blackmail?" The bookworm seemed more concerned with some dirt under his fingernails than the queen bee's threats. "A viable tactic. But it hinges on one critical factor."

"And that is?"

"The secret is a secret. From the looks of things it appears Cody will be telling Owen himself after the challenge."

Heather did not seem entirely convinced. "He is just going to tell him? Like that? I find that hard to believe."

"You underestimate his honesty. He couldn't bear the thought of having used Bridgette's feelings, even accidentally. Him telling Owen next is certain."

"Well, I'm sure the rest of the team will care that you faked sickness and injury so willingly to get a free ride. They will see you two as liabilities and boot you out."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way, I refuse to be blackmailed."

"Don't act so smug, this isn't over by a long shot." The queen bee turned on her heels and stormed off towards the other side of the clearing. Due to her exhaustion, she missed a tree root sticking up at an odd angle and fell flat on her face, eliciting weary chuckles from those still awake. Such was her exhaustion that she fell fast asleep within seconds of hitting the ground.

Noah would have joined in the laughter if he had not slumped over at nearly the same moment.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Heather: "Noah thinks he is so smart, but he is not really sure what our team will think of his actions. Nobody is immune to blackmail, I will get him eventually." *She smirks at the camera* "Watch out, boys. There can be only one person controlling this game. Namely, me. This game is mine!"

Noah: *He is reading his book* "Cody's determination to tell the truth no matter the consequences is most fascinating." *He turns the page* The queen bee is going to be a lot of trouble. Let's hope she gets booted soon."

* * *

The end was drawing near as the sun rose again, marking the seventy-two hour mark. Only Justin and Leshawna were still awake for the Bass while Duncan, Gwen, and Trent were the Gophers retaining some self-awareness. Everyone who had fallen asleep up to this point had been carted away to the cabins and were strictly prevented from communication with those who remained.

For some time, Justin had stood like a statue, staring off into the woods, eyes unblinking, talking to nobody. Leshawna only kept her eyes open through shear strength of will, sparing the occasional glance at her teammate to see if he was still awake.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Leshawna: "I may want to get rid of that hunk of man candy, but that doesn't mean I cannot be civil, right? And if the Bass win this challenge, I might have a chance to sway some more people to my side. I don't like having a tie if we lose."

* * *

"Hey, Justin, you doin all right?" The sister inquired. She got no response. "Hello?"

She waved her hand in front of the model's face and still he did not acknowledge her.

"Oh **that** is how you're playin it now? Can't even be civil? Look at me!" With the last remark, she shook her teammate heartily.

He collapsed on his face, causing him to finally stir. The model regained his footing and rubbed his eyes, accidentally taking off the carefully applied makeup which had looked like his eyes. When he saw the white on his hand he gaped in worry but, upon seeing that nobody else had noticed, his expression quickly changed to one of annoyance.

"Your eyes were painted!" Leshawna exclaimed.

"What? No way! I have to see this." Chris said, just noticing what had happened. "Nice idea dude. But I'm afraid you're still out."

The sister was not one to be intimidated by others, but even she quaked a little when she saw the malice in the model's gaze as he was led away, saying only one word. "Goodbye."

"It's all up to you Leshawna. No pressure." The host let out a patented evil snicker.

"Lovely." She moaned.

Her moping was interrupted by a cry from the other team.

"Trent! Are you ok?"

Gwen got no reply from the musician who despite his great effort had finally given in to sleep and fallen onto his back.

"Wimp." Duncan mumbled.

"Just shut up."

"Why should I?"

"He is hardly a wimp for survivin this long." Interjected Leshawna who had decided sitting with the other team would be better than falling asleep.

"What do you care? You're not on our team." The punk's temper was rapidly turning foul.

"It's called common decency, heard of it?"

"Course. Doesn't mean I need it."

"Yes you do. Someone needs to beat it into you."

"What, like you?"

"If I have to."

"I love it when girls act tough."

"That's it!" The sister slapped the punk across the face, sending him sprawling in the dirt. He did not get up.

"If that did not make for such great television, I would have to disqualify you Leshawna. But that was too much and it evened the teams out. It's up to you and Gwen now." Chris called out.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

"Some people deserve a slap to the face." Gwen yawned.

"Tell me about it."

"Yep."

With a glance at Trent's prone form Leshawna continued. "You talkin with him the whole time?"

The goth thought for a moment. "Most of it. Or at least he sat with me most of the time."

"He must really like you?"

"He said he just wanted to talk. Not like there was much else to do."

"Honey, when was the last time you hung with someone for three straight days 'just to talk'? If he just wanted to talk a bit don't you think he would have stopped sometime in the first twelve hours?"

"I suppose." Gwen smiled wryly. "I'm not sure what to make of him."

"Why do ya say that?"

"I..." She stopped herself. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this anyways or why you care. You're not on my team."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Gwen: "What is it with this challenge and everyone wanting to share their deep concerns? I blame the sleep deprivation." *She pauses for a moment* "I don't think Trent is really interested in me that way...right?"

Leshawna: "Not sure why that girl clammed up all of a sudden. I hope she's ok."

* * *

The conversation clearly over, Leshawna started to walk back to her previous seat when she suddenly was overcome with the urge to use the bathroom.

"Sure thing, as long as the camera man here keeps an eye on you." Chris commented when she told him.

A minute later the camera man returned and handed a note to the host.

"Looks like Leshawna has taken a snooze on the pot, which means the Screaming Gophers win again!"

But Gwen was not aware of this victory as she had slid forward off her seat and fallen on something rather soft. Chris had neglected to move Trent.

"Awww, isn't that cccuuuute!" The host proclaimed before turning to the camera. "And now the question remains, who will the Bass kick off tonight?"

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Later that day, Lindsay, Beth, Katie, and Sadie sat in their side of the cabin once more, bemoaning the second loss.

"So, like, who are we voting off?" Sadie asked.

"I just can't believe we lost. Again!" Lindsay moaned.

"Well, I gueth we thould vote off whoever fell athleep firtht, right? That would make the motht thenth." Beth interjected. "Anyone remember who that wath?"

"I think it was Kadie." The blonde said, pointing at the pink clad twins. "Or was it Satie?"

"You wouldn't vote one of _us_ off would you?" The pair cried out.

"Of course not." Came a male voice at the door. "It's not your fault we lost after all."

"Oh, hi Juthtin." The farm girl opened the door to let him in. "Whothe fault wath it?"

"It is a tragic truth, ladies. One which I am loath to share but must for all our sakes."

"Oh, is this like last time?" Lindsay asked innocently.

"Very perceptive of you, Lindsay." The blonde blushed at the complement. "I don't know what drove her to do it, maybe she was angry with the team for voting off Geoff, but the fact remains she revealed my brilliant plan to win which had deceived the host and the Gophers. If it wasn't for her our team would have outlasted the others and won."

"How could she?" Katie and Sadie growled with indignation.

"I didn't think Shawna would do that!" Lindsay gasped with shock.

"But, you were cheating, right?" Beth's inquiry was barely heard amid the other girl's outbursts.

"Beth," the model gently draped his arm around the farm girl's shoulders, causing her to blush uncontrollably. "we are fighting for our lives here. The more we lose the harder it is going to be to come back and win a challenge. I did what had to be done to make sure we won."

"I gueth."

"Don't let it bother you, the team will be better without Leshawna."

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Beth stood outside the confessional, waiting her turn to cast her vote.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Beth: "I don't know who to vote for. I'm sure Juthtin wouldn't thteer uth wrong, but he did cheat..."

Leshawna: "If I'm gonna have a prayer of votin of Justin, I need to get one of those girls on my side and I suspect Beth would be the easiest to sway."

* * *

As fate (and the plot) would have it, the Bass team member to leave the confessional was none other than Leshawna herself.

"Hey Lethawna." Beth gave a friendly wave.

"Hey, hon." The sister looked to be debating something with herself for a moment before continuing. "I'm guessing Justin wants you to vote me off?"

"Yeth, he thaid its your fault we lotht the challenge."

"Did he now?" The sister put he hands on her hips and glared in the direction of the Bass cabin. "Look, there is something that has been worryin me about him for several days now. He clearly has the other three girls wrapped around his finger and will likely continue to indefinitely. I know you voted with him last time and don't feel threatened, but you have to see that he will get rid of ya'll eventually."

"All but one of uth are going to have to leave eventually. Why did you come to me, though? Why not Linthay or Katie or Thadie?"

"I didn't think any of them would realize the danger as much as you."

"I...wait, you're not thaying their thtupid are you? Cauthe they are definitely not."

"No, I..."

"You jutht think you can waltthe up and tell me what to do while inthulting my friends? At least when Juthtin asks us to do thingth he ith nice about it!" The farm girl shoved her way past the sister and entered the confessional, slamming the door behind her.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

While the Bass tried to decide who to vote off, the Gophers were dealing with a problem of their own. A loud problem. A loud an incredibly muscular problem.

"Who took my music?" Eva raged, throwing a dresser through the screen door of the girls side of the cabin. "One of _you_" her voice on saying this word was full of disgust and contempt "must have taken it. I need my music!"

"Whichever of you took it better give it back now before she completely demolishes the cabin." Courtney looked around at those Gophers present expectantly with her hands on her hips.

Nobody there made a move.

"What's going on?" Cody asked as he walked over from the Confessional.

"Someone stole Eva's...what are you holding?" The CIT's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oh, I found this on the floor in the Confessional." The geek held aloft the missing musical device and as the camera zooms closer, a slight halo effect can be seen emanating from it.

"Well hurry up pipsqueak and take it to her before she gets to our side of the cabin." Duncan hissed. As if to emphasize the danger, a partially open box of hair accessories flew out the hole where the door once was and only narrowly missed Cody's head.

With a visible gulp of fear, he headed towards the hurricane. As he neared the gaping entrance way, a tossed bucket neatly landed on his head, leaving him soaking wet yet again.

"Alright, who keeps a bucket of water in their room? Seriously!" Cody shouted.

The ruckus inside ceased and the geek found himself lifted a foot off the ground a moment later.

"What do you want?"

"I..." he choked a little as his shirt tightened across his neck, "found this in the Confessional."

"My music!" Eva cried, the first smile the viewers have seen on her lighting up her face. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She put Cody down and gave him a bear hug, causing the boy to blush slightly. Though whether from lack of air or not is impossible to tell.

The athlete turned towards the rest of her team with sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, guys. I guess I overreacted." When she saw the group glaring back at her, she sighed loudly and slinked off into the woods.

The male Gophers dispersed while the girls started to put the room back together.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Courtney: "She's lucky we are not the ones facing elimination today. She will never get ahead in life if she doesn't learn to control her temper."

Eva: "I handled that well."

Heather: "Looks like karma has come to my aide for once." *She holds up a picture of Eva with red horns and a spiked tail drawn on* "Now that abomination will suffer. If I'm lucky, I can use this time when everyone is worried about her to do some damage of my own. I refuse to let Noah and Cody off that easily."

* * *

Ezekiel stood alone outside the confessional as the sun sank lower in the sky, the last of his team to record his current opinions and thoughts for posterity and, in this case, to vote for the teammate he thought should leave the island for good. The current occupant stepped out of the small structure and gave the prairie teen a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"I hope you vote for the right person." Justin said.

"As in not you, eh?" He snickered.

The model gave a light heartened chuckle of his own. "I would be lying to say otherwise. But I cannot imagine you would have any reason to vote for me, so I suppose my previous statement was unnecessary. After all, if you were to vote me off, you would certainly get the boot next. I doubt Leshawna will really forgive you for those comments you let slip in the confessional after the first challenge."

With a quick wave, Justin walked off, leaving a stunned Ezekiel in his wake. The toque wearing teen looked back and forth frantically, like he expected Izzy to pop out at any moment and tell him what to do. But she did not jump out of the bushes, and with the voting window nearly closed, he entered the confessional and carefully closed the door behind him.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Leshawna: "We may not have enough votes to oust Justin, but I feel certain we can get a dead even split. I will take what I can get at this point."

Beth: *She is fuming* "You know what Lethawna, I might have lithened to you if you hadn't said thothe thingth about the other girlth. Juthtin was right, your juth trying to cover your ath." *She covers her mouth in shock at what she said*

Tyler: "I don't know what to do. Either way could end up without me and Lindsay getting together."

Ezekiel: "Ohh dear. ooh dear. ooh dear! He knows. But what if he is right about Leshawna, eh?"

* * *

That evening, the members of the losing team had gathered around the campfire. Chris held a plate containing nine marshmallows.

"Back again Killer Bass. This must suck sooooo much." Chris chuckled. "I have here nine marshmallows. They represent safety, security, and a continued stay on the island. One of you will not receive a marshmallow and will instead have to take a walk down the dock of shame, board the Boat of Losers, and leave the island. FOREVER!"

"Let's just get this over with." Leshawna let out a big yawn.

"Fine, fine! Ruin all the drama why don't you. The following campers are safe: Izzy, Ezekiel, Lindsay, Katie, Sadie, Beth, Tyler, DJ."

Leshawna and Justin eyed the last marshmallow with apprehension, unable to take their eyes off it, even to glare at each other.

"And the final marshmallow goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Justin"

"Alright!" Leshawna cried out, turning towards those she had thought moments ago were on her side, "Which of you voted for me?""

Before anyone could admit guilt, Chef clamped his hand over the sister's mouth, carried her down to the dock, and gracelessly tossed her onto the boat.

"And that wraps up today's show, go get some rest guys, you're going to need it for the next challenge. Tune in next time for another fun filled, thrilling episode of Total! Drama! Island!"

*The screen fades to black and the credits role*

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

After the credits end, we see Eva walking back from the woods into the cabin, slumped and dejected. All the other girls have gone to sleep over an hour ago. As the athlete gets into bed, she finds a small slip of paper. She unfolds it and finds a note written on the inside.

_Well, you sure lost it. Your team is probably going to boot you out the first chance they get now. But, I can keep you in the game if you help me with a couple small things. Scrawl a small x in charcoal next to the camera in the confessional if you agree and I will be in touch._

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

**Votes**:

Leshawna: Justin

DJ: Justin

Justin: Leshawna

Katie: Leshawna

Sadie: Leshawna

Lindsay: Leshawna

Beth: Leshawna

Izzy: Justin

Ezekiel: ?

Tyler: ?

* * *

**End Notes: Alert - incoming stream of drivel**

* * *

The Awake-a-thon. Great for character development and lacking in any physical action whatsoever. Luckily the next chapter will give me the chance to practice my action-y writing. Dodge balls away!

Sorry to all you Leshawna fans out there, I hope I gave her a fair shake before sending her off. Probably more than the average author gives the second person voted out. At least there are plenty of other stories on this site that give her the time and development she deserves. And no, I'm not telling you who of the last two voted for Leshawna. Maybe both of them did...

This chapter was tricky to write due to the numerous important conversations that occur. I have to make sure it all fits together just right.

It is a bit odd that nobody in the show cared at all that Noah used Owen as free transportation in the first season. I guess since he got voted out the next episode (such a shame), there was no point in making a big deal out of it.

I guess these episodes of total drama must be an hour long considering this chapter along with the last two have all been one episode. I am thinking I will probably continue splitting up challenges into multiple chapters. It increases the dramatic tension and means the updates will be more frequent, if shorter.

As always, please leave reviews.


	6. Chapter 6: Rage

Disclaimer: In no way shape or form do I have any ownership of the Total Drama characters or setting which are the exclusive property of Teletoon. The unique plot twists, heartbreaks, and general mayhem are mine. All mine.

Authorial Notations (_**Actually Important This Time!**_): As always thanks for the reviews. This chapter has taken me significantly longer for several reasons. One, I got all four wisdom teeth removed the day after I posted the last chapter which took me out for a while and two, I initially felt a general lack of motivation for this challenge which later turned into procrastination and putting off having to make important decisions. Nobody I know would label me a perfectionist, but I have been constantly worrying about keeping everyone in character and making sure their actions make sense. Please let me know what you think.

Most importantly, I made some changes to the brief Noah/Heather chat in the last chapter yesterday. I was never completely happy with how it had been written the first time and my plans for how the Owen's deception situation would play out have changed somewhat so you may want to reread that part so what happens later makes sense. I do not plan on making a habit of changing published material, but I have been struggling with this for some time.

And JD127...Touche. I guess my writing style lend itself more to longer chapters. I want to avoid plot holes and make sure that most of what happens is logical and in line with the characters' personalities. Hopefully I have succeeded.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Me and My Pet Rageaholic**

* * *

As the screen fades in, we once more see Chris standing on the dock sporting his larger than life grin.

"Last time on Total Drama Island..." As he continues to speak, the screen changes to show several different scenes. The first picture is the campers standing in front of the cabins before the run. "For the second challenge, the campers started with a simple twenty kilometer run followed by a luxurious turkey lunch." *now pictured* "After they had gorged themselves, it became a race to stay awake." *short clip of the campers sitting around the campfire pit with bleary eyes* "I spoil these kids, I really do."

"While the contestants began dropping like flies, we did witness some intriguing developments. Alliances were forged, friendships started, conflicts begun, threats made and so much more. It came down to a one on one faceoff between Gwen and Leshawna but the Gophers won when the sister took a dive on the pot. Justin took this opportunity to solidify his hold over the team by getting Leshawna booted off for her actions during the challenge."

"For today's exercise in pain, er fun, we are going to get a little physical. So stay tuned to find out who will win, who will lose, and who will take a trip on the boat of losers in this action packed episode of Total! Drama! Island!"

***Cue Theme (I described it in chapter 3)***

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The screen fades to the dining hall where most of the campers are at their respective teams tables. Despite the second loss in a row, the Bass seemed more rested than one would expect. As usual, Justin sat at one end of the table surrounded by Lindsay, Beth, Katie, and Sadie. Tyler sat on the other side of Lindsay trying to start a conversation, but was unable to hold her attention for more than ten seconds at a time. At the opposite end, Izzy and Ezekiel whispered fervently while shooting the occasional suspicious glance towards the model's posse. This left DJ sitting in the middle all by himself.

* * *

**Confessional**:

DJ: *He looks very depressed* "Man, it's bad enough that we lost twice in a row, but both times one of my friends gets kicked out and I'll bet Justin is gunning for me next. I don't know if I can go on." *He breaks into tears* "I just wish I was home with mamma. She would be appalled at the mess around here." *He squints at something next to the camera* "Someone started with the graffiti already?"

* * *

Without warning Izzy bounded down the table, landing next to the brickhouse.

"Awww, why are you by yourself? You should come sit with Zeke and me. I promise he doesn't bite. No guarantees for me though."

"I don't know. I just miss Geoff and Leshawna. When we first met, I knew we would be close. But then the team goes and votes them both off." He let out another long sigh. "I don't know how I can go on."

"You can't give up, eh?" Ezekiel added as he joined them. "That would dishonor their memory."

"You ever consider doing speeches at funerals, Zeke?"

"No..." The poor boy was clearly disturbed by the question.

"I know you two mean well, but I really would prefer to be by myself right now."

"This isn't cause of, uh, you know what, is it?" Ezekiel whispered.

"I would be lying to say that wasn't part of it." the black teen admitted. "I couldn't believe anyone would think that way anymore. And I don't even know if you two voted for her or not."

"I didn't vote for her, eh." Ezekiel's apparent sincerity put DJ slightly more at ease.

"And don't worry, DJ. Izzy is gonna drum that out of him if it's the last thing she does."

"That wouldn't be the same way you drummed Leshawna's head would it?" The ease was gone.

"If Izzy needs to, and she probably will." Her prairie companion gulped visibly at this admission.

"Let's face it, we are all going to go sooner rather than later. Justin will pick us off one by one." DJ sighed.

"Then we can't lose again. It's simple. No need to be a sour puss, big guy. At this rate you will be less exciting then that Noah fellow and all he does is read."

"I heard that!" The bookworm in question exclaimed.

"Good for you!" The red headed whirlwind shouted back.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The atmosphere at the Gopher table was generally more positive even if they seemed slightly more tired as a team than the Bass. Courtney sat at one corner of the table with Bridgette occupying the same spot on the other side. Trent sat a little to the CIT's left, his eyes constantly shifting between the surfer and Gwen, who sat on his other side, silently drawing in her journal. They had not talked much, but neither seemed eager to break the comfortable silence. The sheer volume of their conversation from the previous challenge was more than enough to fill the void.

Noah and Owen sat across from each other in the center of the table. The bookworm was engrossed in a book as usual, completely still except for the occasional twitch of an ear. The large blonde teen's entire world was focused on the white paste passed off as food in front of him. At that moment, Cody walked in through the door and grabbed his bowl of slop. The blonde had noticed his entrance and was looking at him expectantly while the geek's friend did not seem to notice him. He looked anxiously back and forth between the two and, with a large gulp, sat next to Owen.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Cody: "Well, here goes nothing."

* * *

Chris looked over the two teams. "Man, Gophers, for being the winners of the last challenge, you guys look worse than the Bass."

"Harold snored half the night." Courtney failed to stifle a yawn.

"Only half?"

Before anyone could explain, the lanky nerd in question fell down from the ceiling. His mouth, and most of his body, was covered in duct tape and a long rope was tied around his feet.

"How did we not notice him up there?" Bridgette exclaimed in alarm. She quickly undid the bonds around his hands and gently removed the piece over his mouth. The poor nerd cried out in pain despite her efforts. "Who did this?" She shot a glare back at her team. All she got in reply was a harsh laugh from Duncan and a chorus of snickers from many of the others.

"Seriously guys?"

"They're all just idiots. Just wait till I show them my mad skills. Then they will respect me." Harold pulled himself up onto his feet and hopped over to the empty end of the table since he had neglected to remove the duct tape binding his feet together.

"That was quite the entrance, Harold. Your team must really hate you." The host's sadism was on full display.

The red headed boy glared at the host in response.

"I think I'll sit with him." Bridgette was significantly less willing to let this slide, but she felt too bad for Harold to argue the point. She grabbed her tray and sat across from her gray mummy teammate.

* * *

**Confessional**

Cody: "I feel your pain, man. That has been me more times than I care to admit." *He pauses for a moment and gives the camera an awkward glance* "But is it wrong to be a little glad it was him up there and not me?"

* * *

"Sucks to be him right now." Noah commented.

"That was pretty mean." Owen agreed.

"Yep." Cody took a deep breath before continuing. "Owen, about your help the other day... I have to tell you the truth...neither Noah or I was hurt. We were tired and wanted a quick ride to the dining hall."

"And we didn't want to lose what we thought was the challenge and have one of us get voted off." Noah added.

"So, **we**, just wanted to apologize." The geek finished, glaring at his bookworm comrade.

The big guy considered the revelation. "I'm just glad you guys weren't actually hurt. If you wanted a lift, you only needed to ask. Always glad to help my buddies."

"Good to know everything is cool. I was worried you would be upset." Cody sighed in relief.

"I couldn't be upset at my friends." Owen replied with an excessively cheery grin.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Owen: "Owen always loves to help his buddies." *His smile is quite literally from ear to ear. The moment is cut short by the release of a large amount of green gas from his posterior.*

Cody: "Not complaining or anything, but am I the only one concerned that he took it _that_ well?"

* * *

Back at Bridgette's old seat, Courtney was glaring at Harold.

"Why does she bother with him? He is a useless annoyance."

"That is harsh, even if you don't like him." Trent replied.

"I think it's fair. He keeps the team up, he gets put up there."

"That what they taught you as a CIT?"

"Well...no." The CIT began to show doubt.

"Do you think Bridgette would approve?"

"No, she wouldn't." She admitted. After a moment's pause she looked at Trent with a raised eyebrow. "No mention of your own opinion?"

"Of course I don't approve. But we both know you value her opinion far more than mine."

"That doesn't make yours worthless."

"Really?" The musician did a poor job of hiding his incredulity. "That is nice to know."

"Did you think I don't care?"

Trent looked like he was debating what to say. "Frankly, yes. Your focus in our little group has always been Bridgette. I am a third wheel."

"Yet you're still here."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To make sure Bridgette is treated well. It's a hard job." His voice was completely monotone.

"What are you talking about? I treat her like a friend."

"If by 'like a friend' you mean two or three less insults than anyone else in a given week." Not wanting to continue the discussion, the musician turned to Gwen, who had spent the past several minutes trying to get her food to stay still. The effort had been too much for the poor girl and she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Trent: "With luck I made an impression."

Courtney: "Why does everyone think they can tell me how to treat my friends? I am a very friendly person." *She fumes silently for a couple seconds before looking towards her feet* "I'm sure she knows I...care. Right?"

Bridgette: "I couldn't hear much of what they said from where I sat. But I know I heard my name several times. I hate to think I am the source of an argument."

* * *

Several minutes later, Heather stood up.

"Hey Bass, congratulations on losing twice in a row. How does it feel to suck this much?"

"Not very good." DJ muttered.

"Now, now, Heather. There is no reason to act so unsportsmanlike." Justin came to his feet and stood opposite the queen bee. Almost every girl in the room had a happy, faraway look in their eyes as the stared at him. "You may have beaten us twice, but we will not be overcome again. The next challenge is ours!"

The rest of the Bass cheered, even those who were not his biggest fans were caught up in the moment (though the later group's cheers sounded forced).

"Keep telling yourself that, losers." The raven haired teen sneered before retaking her seat.

Chris chuckled with glee. "I just love the tension. Time to take your pent up anger to the courts. Today's challenge is: Dodge ball!"

"Gee, another mentally challenging activity." Noah drawled as the campers headed through the dining hall doors.

"I know, right?" Lindsay looked worried.

Many faces were palmed and many sighs rose to the heavens from both teams.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

On their way to the court, Bridgette caught up with Cody, who had purposely fallen behind Owen and Noah.

"So, have you told Owen yet?"

"Yes. He seems to have taken it well and is just glad we were fine."

"I knew that was the right thing to do."

"Indeed it was. Thanks for your advice."

"Always glad to help a friend. How did Noah react?"

"He didn't try to stop me. He did not appear to mind Owen learning the truth."

"Really? Huh." The blonde stared thoughtfully into the forest.

"I'm glad that is behind us." The geek continued. "You up for some more surfing lessons after this challenge?"

"Sure. And we can bring Harold along; he certainly had fun last time. He is quite the surfer himself."

"Sure..." He did not sound thrilled, but his companion did not notice. They continued on in silence to their destination with the rest of their competitors.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The contestants gathered in a semi-circle around Chris inside a small court.

"Before we begin, I need to cover a few rules. The first rule of dodge ball is..."

"You don't talk about dodge ball?" Noah interjected.

The comment elicited snickers from many of the campers and an overly hard pat on the back from the friendly neighborhood jovial giant. A certain host was not so pleased and in a moment's time, a ball was flying towards the bookworms head. Said ball found itself a moment later firmly in Owen's meaty grasp, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.

"Careful, man, you could have hurt my little buddy."

"That was the point." Chris muttered.

"You're funny Chris.

"Chris, man, you dropped this back in the dining hall." Chef handed the host a slip of paper.

"Thanks. Didn't even realize it was missing. You'd think someone was cutting holes in my pockets." It was probably better for his peace of mind that he did not see Izzy desperately struggle to hold back a laugh. "Anywho, the second rule of dodge ball is: If you get hit by a ball, you're out. Third: If you catch the ball, than the thrower is out. Finally, if you are holding a ball and you deflect a ball thrown at you with it, you are safe. But if it knocks the ball you're holding out of your hands, you're out. Last boy or girl standing wins a point for their team. The losing team will be sending someone home tonight. Any questions?"

"Yeah, what is the point of the game again?" Came the airy voice of a clueless blond.

"To dodge the ball." Chris then chucked a ball straight at Lindsay's head. She froze in horror, unable to move when a red blur threw itself in her way. Said red blob promptly fell over after getting hit in its own head.

"You...ok...Lind..." Poor Tyler was unable to complete the sentence. One could all but see the birdies.

"Yeah. Thanks...uh...Trevor, is it?"

"Enough soppy moments. It's time to start. Screaming Gophers, since you have more campers you need to sit two out each round."

"So, I guess Gwen should sit out, who else will?"

"Who put you in charge?" Heather snarled.

"You see anyone else here with CIT experience?"

"Do you see anyone who cares?"

"How are you any more qualified than me?"

"Cause I am, loser. Nobody who wants to stay sane would follow you!"

"Why you bi..."

"Cat fight! Cat fight! Cat fight!" Duncan began to chant.

"Shut it, punk. I know you support me and..." The queen bee began.

"Eh, actually I'm thinking of supporting princess in this one, gorgeous."

"I'm...grateful for your support. Bridgette?"

"Sure thing, Courtney." The blonde replied with a smile.

"Here's a question, does anyone on the team want Heather to lead?"

Nobody raised their hand.

"Well..." The queen bee paused for a moment, not sure of what to say. It did not last long. "Besides Duncan who only supports you cause he thinks you're hot and your faithful pet surfer, does anyone else support you?"

The crickets were able to put on a lovely, uninterrupted show.

"The apathy vote makes a strong showing once again. Democracy in action." Noah chuckled.

"Is there a third option?" Gwen's words could barely be heard through her large yawn.

"Seeing as I have two supporters to your none - with seven abstentions - that makes me the leader. Now sit down."

"This isn't over, Courtney!" Heather fumed, shooting a glare at the two boys she thought she had in her pocket.

A certain goth wasn't about to let her suggestion die. "Hey Trent, didn't you say you lead your school's band?"

"Yeah." The musician admitted. He did not like the glares he was receiving from the CIT.

"You have got to be a better alternative to Courtney."

He didn't seem keen on the idea. "Oh, I don't really..."

"Can you guys hurry this up, please? As much as I love drama, we do have a schedule to keep." Chris called out.

"Tell us, el presidente, how much sports leadership has your CIT training included?" Noah queried.

"What are you getting at?" She shot the bookworm a hard glare.

"A novel concept: let's pick someone we know is good at sports to lead us this challenge. That would be the wisest course of action, no?" Noah drawled. All eyes turned towards Eva who till this point had been standing just outside the group avoiding the attention of her teammates.

"Me? You want me to lead?" A half smile was forcing its way onto her face.

"What? She can't lead. You want someone who ripped our door off its hinges yesterday to lead? Has she even lead anything before? I doubt she has done anything to match my CIT leadership training."

Eva got up in Courtney's face, somehow managing to stay relatively cool. "For your information, I led my school's soccer team, weight lifting squad, basketball team, football team, swim team, track team, cross country team, baseball team, and the martial arts team."

"She had me sold after she got in Courtney's face." Gwen smirked.

"She sounds a bit overqualified." Cody nodded in agreement, disappoint showing when Gwen didn't take notice of his agreeing.

"They're both pretty scary." Owen admitted.

"Heck, I'll support her just to keep the b***h down." Heather crossed her arms and grinned maliciously.

"So, I guess Eva is the leader then? She got the most votes." The jolly blonde giant asked innocently.

The raven hared girl cracked her knuckles and twisted her neck from side to side. "All right, let's do this. Who is taking the first round out with Gwen?"

"I'll sit this one out." Noah announced. "Now let's watch you keeners get out and dodge." He pulled out a small booklet and began to scribble furiously for a couple seconds before resuming his reading.

"So what is the strategy?" Heather asked.

"Give me the balls. I can flatten their team easily no matter who is on our team or theirs."

"Brilliant strategy." Courtney snarled, rolling her eyes. "Is that how you led all those teams back home?"

"Mostly. I lead by example."

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Moments later the two teams had assembled their starting line ups. The Gophers had Owen, Courtney, Eva, Cody, and Duncan though the later didn't look completely awake. The Bass squad consisted of Justin, Izzy, DJ, Katie, and Tyler. Both teams prepared to rush towards the balls the second Chef signaled the start of the match.

The shrill cry of the whistle echoed across the court a moment later. In a matter of seconds, the five balls had been scooped up by Eva, Justin, Cody, Tyler, and Izzy.

Tyler made the first move, flinging the ball with all his might. Unfortunately all that might was directed upwards and the ball sailed clear out of the court.

Eva and Justin were having a staring contest, daring each other to make the first move. So in the zone was she that the model's charms had no effect. Izzy threw her ball, figuring this would be the perfect opportunity to take her out. Without batting an eye, Eva deflected the ball with the one in her hand and managed to dodge Justin's ball a second later. The ball she deflected sailed across the court and hit Katie square in the face before bouncing back to the Gopher's side.

"Nicely played." Justin bowed. With nearly as much ease as Eva, he plucked the ball Duncan had just thrown at him out of the air. With the blow of a whistle, the punk was out and Ezekiel cycled in.

"Bring it pretty boy!" After a quick wind up, the athlete loosed her ball. It grazed the top of the prairie teen's head, taking off his toque and nailing a nearby Izzy in the chest. Both were out though the orange haired menace muttered something about 'only I am allowed to take that'.

The teams were now 4 to 3, with the three of the four remaining balls on the Bass side. Duncan took a shot at Tyler, but the jock narrowly dodged it by tripping over his own feet.

"If we take out Eva the game is ours." Justin whispered to his team. They nodded in agreement and launched a volley of three balls at the girl.

She had no room to dodge and no balls to block with. Such things were mere trivialities. In a heartbeat, Eva grabbed the nearest shield she could. A small, light, gap toothed shield. All three balls bounced of the poor geek and fell to the ground.

"Wicked move, Eva." Chris called on his megaphone.

Tossing Cody aside, Eva scooped up two balls and let them fly, nailing both Tyler and DJ. With a speed that could only come from training, she scooped up a third ball and barely managed to scrape Justin's arm.

"Congratulations on winning the first game, Gophers! On to round two!" The host proclaimed. The game had lasted less than a minute.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Courtney: "I think it's safe to say we got this in the bag. If Eva uses a tenth of the rage she showed us yesterday, she will flatten their team. Just to be safe, I will not stand too close to her. That rage still doesn't make her a good leader."

Cody: *He is covered in bruises and bumps and is grimacing in pain. He gingerly tries to move* "Owwww. Owwww. Owwww."

Bridgette: "I can't believe she did that!"

Noah: *He is laughing uncontrollably*

* * *

"Teams on the court! Let's get game two on!"

Eva stepped back on without a second thought followed by Harold, Heather, Gwen, and Trent. Opposing them, the Bass had gathered Justin, Tyler, Sadie, Beth, and Lindsay. With a shrill blast from the whistle they were off.

Tyler managed to scoop up two balls and let them fly. One ricochet off the fence and landed safely behind the gopher team. The other hit Lindsay square in the face. She fell flat on her back and did not move. In horror, the jock got down on one knee and tried to hear her breathing.

Despite the apparent injury, Chris had not called a time out, so Heather took the opportunity to nail Tyler in the back of the head. He barely noticed, promptly picking up his blonde teammate and returning to the bench.

Justin, meanwhile, had managed to nail Harold who collapsed with a wheeze. A moment later he intercepted a toss (if that is even what it can be called) from Gwen who seemed more than happy to head for the bench. Trent took a well-aimed ball to the knee courtesy of a newly arrived Izzy.

As it stood now, the Gophers had Heather and Eva versus Justin, Sadie, Beth, and Izzy. Eva caught a ball which Sadie had just gently lobbed her way, sending her home and bringing Bridgette out to play. The two sides were locked in a starring contest, both teams looking for the slightest sign of weakness, daring the other to make the first move.

Ultimately Heather was distracted enough by a face Izzy was making to give Beth the opportunity to take her out, though the farm girl only just managed to hit her target. The act of throwing caused the girl to lose her balance for a moment, but that was all it took to give Bridgette the window she needed.

With a quick glance and nod, Izzy and Justin made exaggerated wind up motions in Eva's direction but at the last minute they changed directions and threw their balls towards Bridgette. The surfer managed to dodge one, but the other hit her squarely in the arm.

Unfortunately for the Bass, the balls were now all seemed to be on the Gopher's side, and Eva was taking full advantage of the situation. With the skills of trained hunter she eyed her opponents.

She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Izzy had produced a ball seemingly out of thin air and chucked it at the athlete. Without blinking an eye, she snatched the ball out of the air and flung it straight towards Justin. A lesser man would have been bowled over like a pin. But the model was able to hold onto the ball, much to the shock of the onlookers. He shrugged and bowed slightly to Eva as she stormed off.

It took a moment for her to calm down before she spoke. "If Duncan weren't looking so droopy, I'd send him in, but..."

"I got this." The punk confidently strolled onto the court. "Time to show you ladies how it's ugh..." the mohawked man took a ball to the face and was lying flat on his back, babbling about seeing stars.

"Looks like the Bass win the seconds game! Who will win the next game? Find out when we return to this exciting episode of: Total Drama Island!"

* * *

**Commercial**

A man in a cheap suit stands in front of a pile of canvas and metal poles.

"Hello camping fans everywhere. We all know a vital part of the camping experience is the tent. It shields us from the weather and is where we rest after a hard day of camping. But isn't it a pain to have to go to all the effort to set up your own tent?" The camera shows a picture of a tent halfway set up with bars sticking out in all the wrong directions. "If your answer is a resounding yes, then do we have the product for you. The Self-Pitching Tent!"

Nothing happens. After a couple seconds of awkward pausing the man guiltily pulls out a remote from his pocket.

"Which is, naturally, activated with this remote and not voice commands. Once again, I present to you the Self-Pitching Tent!"

Nothing happens when the man presses the button. He walks on top of the pile and starts to inspect it. Without warning, the contraption whirs into action, metal bars seemingly appearing from thin air to trap the man in a steel cage.

"The Venus Tent Trap, Ladies and Gentlemen! Stocks will certainly run out soon, so hurry up and buy it now! Guaranteed to keep anything caught trapped inside for a...long time. Anyone going to help me? Anyone? Somebody?" The camera slowly zooms out, revealing an empty green screen void in all directions.

* * *

"We're back, and the third game is about to begin!"

"So, leader, what are you going to do to prevent another loss?" Courtney smirked at her teammate.

"That loss was a fluke. No way pretty boy should have been able to catch that." Eva muttered. She shook herself out of her stupor before continuing. "Might as well pick out stronger players just to be safe. We'll let Gwen sit out again. I'll go with Duncan, assuming he can pay attention this time, Owen, Cody (who gulped visibly), and..."

"Noah still hasn't played yet. It's his turn to play for the team."

"While I appreciate being considered one of the stronger players, I hardly think putting me on the field is wise. Sports are not my forte." The bookworm had evidently decided looking up from his book was a waste of effort.

"I doubt the String Bean would do us much good, anyways. Why don't you join us on the field Courtney. Maybe those balls will drum out your attitude."

The CIT rolled her eyes in response but did as she was asked. The Bass had sent forth Justin, Izzy, DJ, Ezekiel, and Tyler to do battle.

Eva and Justin both managed to grab a ball and chuck it at the other within seconds of the whistle resulting, hilariously enough, in a mutual elimination.

Meanwhile, Tyler had managed to get his hands on three of the balls, much to the worry of all present. Chef was knocked clean off his pedestal, Chris only narrowly dodged what would have been catastrophic damage to his hairdo, and Lindsay, who was just stirring after being beaten up earlier, took the third ball to the face.

"Lindsay! Are you ok?" The jock cried out. He got the chance to find out an instant later when he was hit by a ball.

"Yes!" Courtney cheered, doing a quick fist pump in excitement. A moment later she was swept off her feet by a ball thrown by a certain cackling red head.

"What is it with the girls on this team and making moves during challenges?" Duncan snickered.

Courtney realized to her horror that she had fallen into the punks arms.

"Let go of me, ogre!" The CIT made a beeline for the bench, glad to get away from the mohawked boy, who, unfortunately, had been taken out by Ezekiel while distracted.

"Way to keep your head in the game, Duncan." Eva snarled.

"Says the first team member to fall." He retorted.

While the tension built in the peanut gallery, Owen had managed to stuff four balls in his meaty hands and threw them all like a human shotgun. His aim was far from perfect, but two balls managed to hit DJ, who walked off the court with a sigh.

Izzy nabbed two balls, twirling one on each pointer finger while Ezekiel had grabbed a third. The green-clad dervish lept into the air and twirled around like someone out of the matrix, releasing a ball towards each Gopher. Cody managed to dodge in time but Owen was unable to get out of the way fast enough.

The geek eyed his opponents with concern. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bridgette giving him a thumbs up, giving the boy a nice boost of confidence. He picked up one ball and threw in straight at Ezekiel. The prairie boy looked like he was going to dodge it, but at the last moment the ball curved unexpectedly and got him across the back. A cry of triumph on his lips, Cody snatched a second ball and rubbed it on his shirt, causing electrical sparks to visibly arc across its surface. He chucked the ball at Izzy and narrowly missed, though he did manage to get a couple strands of her mane to stand up. The charged ball then hit the back of the court and sank to the ground.

"Arrgh, the laws of science be a harsh mistress." He sighed. A second later he was flat on the ground.

"Congratulation Bass on your second victory! Another like that and the Gophers will be sending their first person home."

* * *

**Confessionals**:

Courtney: "Some leader. I think she made up most of those 'clubs' earlier."

Heather: "Not that I want us to lose, but if we do I think I know who will be going home. She better step up her game if she hopes to stay."

* * *

"Alright guys, for the next game, I am going to choose the players."

"Why?" Someone called out.

"I think the teams I have so skillfully engineered will make for the most...interesting game yet. For the Bass let's have Beth, Sadie, Katie, DJ, and..."The host thoughtfully stroked his chin for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a certain blonde just coming to again. "And Lindsay." And for the Gophers, how about Trent, Gwen, Harold, Heather, and Noah."

"How is this interesting? You picked each teams worst players." Eva growled, unaware of the looks she was receiving.

"It's clearly rigged in the Bass' favor. DJ is going to cream them." Courtney added.

"Have you watched him play?" Noah queried as he finally but his book aside and walked onto the field.

"No more delays, let's go."

Even after the whistle, neither team seemed particularly interested in playing. Trent had tenuously taken a shot at the other team and managed to score a hit on Sadie but was nailed a moment later by a vengeful Katie.

With a look of disgust, Heather picked up a nearby ball and just managed to nick Beth in the leg, but she was gotten a second afterwords by a lucky throw from Lindsay, who had managed to launch the ball while trying to balance it on her nose.

"Time to show off my mad skills." Harold muttered, picking up a ball and twirling it around in his hands. Noah and Gwen exchanged a sidelong glance, their eyebrows raised in disbelief. With a loud war cry, the alpha nerd hurled the ball straight up in the air, spun around on one leg, grabbed the ball as it came down, and hurled it at the Bass. He missed, earning him snickers from both teams.

Gwen finally let out a yawn she had been stifling for some time now, only to find the taste of rubber on her tongue. She returned to the stands, grumbling and spiting frequently.

Noah stared at a nearby ball, debating whether it was worth the effort to pick it up. He apparently decided it was as an instant later he had lobbed the ball towards the Bass. Any other person could have caught it, but Lindsay was too busy feeling her bruised face to notice. A second later she had another one to add to her rapidly expanding collection.

"String bean got somebody out, looks like you owe me ten bucks, pretty boy."

"Of course it would be Lindsay." The host fumed.

Katie hurled another ball at the bookworm. A simple step to the right saved him though he looked like he would have preferred to let himself get hit and end the misery.

"Hey, DJ, why don't you take the next shot?" Katie asked innocently.

"No, that's ok, you can do it." There was a slight quiver in the brickhouse's voice.

With a shrug, the pink clad girl sent the ball sailing towards Noah. This time he was unable to dodge. Katie's celebration was cut short a second later when another lobbed ball bounced off her head.

"Looks like you owe me another twenty."

"Shut up!" The host then muttered "I cannot believe Noah got two of them with that move."

"You got this DJ!" The Bass shouted in encouragement.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Courtney: *Her face is in her hands* "We lost."

Duncan: "I can't believe the fate of our team rests with...Harold" *He spat the name out only with the greatest effort*

Heather: "As long as the dweeb's imminent failure doesn't reflect on me, I don't care what happens to him. And let's be honest, the chances he will not lose are zero."

* * *

"You got this Harold!" Bridgette encouraged.

"You got this man!" Trent cheered, though his voice was markedly less believable.

"Yeah, go Harold." Cody added half-heartedly. Nobody else on the team cared to offer any support for the lost cause.

The red headed nerd did not seem to notice the lack of support. He was completely in the zone. His sole objective: Winning. He threw a ball at DJ but missed by a mile. His team would have groaned if they had expected anything else.

The brickhouse replied with a shot of his own, but he barely but any effort into it and the ball fell short of Harold.

"We _all_ know you can do better than that, DJ." Justin shouted. DJ did not appear to be affected by the comment.

Without any emotion, he launched another rubber sphere, this one aimed perfectly for Harold's chest. At the last second, the nerd neatly sidestepped the ball. And a moment later he had dodged another, and another, and another. One final shot later all the balls were on his side. His team stared at him in silence. Except for Bridgette cheering wildly.

"Nice ballet moves." Duncan jeered.

"You do know you have to _hit_ him to win, right?" Courtney shouted.

"He is still in the game even if he hasn't managed a good throw yet." Eva reminded the team. She then turned towards the court, called for a time out, and motioned for the nerd to come closer. "Let's take it one step at a time, Harold. You may not be able to throw the ball to save your life, but can you catch it?"

He considered the question seriously for a second then nodded. "I can."

"Then do it."

A moment later, the game had resumed. DJ had a ball in hand and took careful aim and sent the ball hurtling towards Harold. His aim was true and the nerd took the full force of the throw to the chest. He fell to the ground, hunched over in pain. Before anyone could react, he lifted the ball above his head. Both teams were completely silent for ten whole seconds.

"And the Gophers tie it up at two games apiece. The next and final game will decide who wins the challenge. Pick your teams and let's play ball!"

* * *

** Confessional:**

Harold: "Told them I had mad skills. I guess this makes me something of a role model now."

Bridgette: "That was amazing! I hope everyone treats him like a real member of the team now."

Duncan: "I hope that dweeb doesn't think a lucky catch that coincidentally prevented us from losing the challenge is going to make me think better of him."

* * *

The Bass stood in a circle considering their next move.

"You really let us down, man." Justin sighed. The rest of the team either nodded in agreement or just stared at the brickhouse in silence. "But let's not get caught up in the past, I know we can win this thing and I say we give DJ a chance to prove his worth. Izzy, Ezekiel, DJ, and...Tyler follow me. I have a cunning plan."

* * *

**Confessional**:

Ezekiel: "It must seem odd that we're taking orders from Justin considering we voted for him last time, eh." *Izzy's head pops out from behind his shoulder*

Izzy: "Who wouldn't do whatever the man candy tells them?" *She snickers loudly when the prairie boy raises his eyebrow questioningly.* "Did I, like, mention how, like, hot he is? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" *She falls over laughing and Ezekiel begins to chuckle as well. When she finally catches her breath she continues* "I bet you know the answer to this, Zeke."

Ezekiel: "We do what he tells us to stay on his good side and because nobody else suggests any better ideas. Doesn't mean I have to like it. The worst part is the situation is highly unlikely to change."

Izzy: *She stands back up* "Zeke needs to learn the art of patience."

Ezekiel: "I live on a farm. Hard not to learn patience there."

Izzy: Cool. Izzy learned the art of patience by watching a spider sit in its web for a full week waiting to catch a meal. When the opportunity finally came...it POUNCED!" *She knocks him to the floor and starts cackling again*

* * *

Like their opponents, the Gopher team was huddled in a circle.

"Thanks to Harold we are still in this, but we have to be extra careful. I know Justin will have a plan." Eva lectured.

"We cannot depend on dumb luck a second time." Courtney added.

"Dumb luck? Those were my mad..."

"Let's not argue over this. He did well, as unlikely as that may seem, and because of him we have a chance to win." Eva countered. She continued before the CIT could interrupt "Duncan, Harold, Cody, and...Courtney, let's go." The venom in her voice at the last name earned her yet another glare from the girl in question.

The two teams assembled on the court, touching the opposite sides of the surrounding fence, braced for the moment the whistle would blow. Upon its sounding, the campers rushed haphazardly towards the middle of the court, intent on snagging as many balls as possible for their team.

Unlike most of the previous games where the action started immediately, both teams held onto the balls they had grabbed, eyeing their opponents for the slightest sign of distraction.

Without warning, the Bass launched their three balls at Eva. She deflected two of them and dodged the third which, unfortunately, hit Harold.

"Told you it was dumb luck." Courtney growled. She sent a well-aimed shot towards Tyler who only avoided it by inadvertently tripping over his own feet.

Several more shots were exchanged without casualties. The Bass had once again managed to gather three balls and took aim. A moment later Duncan followed his teammate to the bench.

Cody and Courtney took two simultaneous shots and the other team. The geek's ball failed to impact its target, but the CIT managed to take out Tyler with hers.

With a victory cry Courtney grabbed another ball and hurtled it towards Ezekiel, who was distracted by a stare off with Eva. Right before the ball connected, Izzy reached out and snatched the ball clean out of the air, sending Katie in. Courtney sat down on the bench, smoke all but coming out of her ears. She was followed shortly thereafter by Cody who had fallen to yet another volley of balls.

Eva stood alone, arrayed against her were five Bass intent on winning their first challenge. Even considering her athletic skills, her team did not seem to believe she could win. Few of them (or their opponents) could later describe what happened next.

With a primal roar summoning images of a cornered lion, she dispatched a ball straight across the field towards Justin. The model had a ball himself which he held in front of him to deflect the oncoming ball. Such was the force that Eva had imparted to her red sphere that the man candy's ball was knocked clean out of his hands and into his face.

Before the rest of his team could register his fall, another ball which the nerdier campers claimed moved at relativistic speeds knocked Katie backwards into DJ. The pair was subsequently driven against the back wall.

The assault was halted by the lack of balls on Eva's side. Izzy and Ezekiel had a whispered conference, considering their course of action. A second later the two stood in a line, Izzy, ball in hand, in the rear by the fence and Ezekiel by the line, slightly hunched over. With a cry that nearly rivaled Eva's, the red-headed dervish took a running leap onto the prairie boy's shoulders and without pause launched herself into the air on a collision course with the last remaining Gopher. She slammed into the athlete like a guided missile, the ball in hand hitting first of course, and the two of them flung back against the opposite fence. Silence reigned as the Gopher's sensed their first defeat had finally arrived.

The whistle blew and Chef signaled for a camper to leave. Both teams looked on in shock as Eva had lifted both the ball and Izzy in the air.

"Catch!" The large black man called out. "Gophers get to bring someone else..."

Before he could finish, Ezekiel lay flat on the ground.

"With that show of inhuman strength from Eva, the Gophers win again! A third challenge in a row. Bass, it looks like another elimination ceremony for you tonight."

There was very little cheering from the winning team, scared stiff as they were by the show of force on Eva's part. The athlete brushed herself off then made for the exit alone. Only after she was gone for several minutes did the other campers begin to file out.

Two remained a little longer, though.

"Do you think they will remember how I saved the team?" Harold sighed.

"I hope so. They have to see your value to the team sooner or later. Either way, I'll remember." Bridgette consoled with a gentle smile and a pat on the back.

"Nice to know someone here cares." The nerd smiled back as the two headed back towards the campground.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

A little while later, Heather sat on the steps of the Gopher cabin preening herself in front of a hand held mirror. She looked up to see Harold standing in front of her, a disapproving grimace on his face.

"What do you want, Harold?"

"An apology. Throughout all the trouble I have been through today, not once did you come to my assistance. When I was tied up, you sat and watched while Bridgette helped me. When I stood alone against DJ, only a few people gave me support, and you were not one of them. Some alliance member you are."

"Face it, Harold, you're probably the most unpopular person on the team. I cannot publicly associate with you or I will soon find myself tied up and hanging upside down in the dining hall. I know you're smart enough to see this."

"Bridgette had no reservations about helping me, and I doubt we will see her hanging upside down any time soon."

"Your point?"

"My point is I have yet to get anything out of our 'alliance'. It's all about you. I figured when we first talked that you would plan on using me to get ahead, but I was sure you would help me a least a little in return. But I can see now I was wrong. I want nothing more to do with our 'alliance'."

"Don't be silly Harold." The queen bee managed to put on a halfway decent smile. "I may not have helped you earlier, but I certainly won't vote for you. I fully intend to take you to the final two with me, but if you leave, there are no guarantees."

"I'll take my chances." Harold stormed off, leaving a brooding Heather in his wake.

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "That loser thinks he can get away with this?! He will regret crossing me!" *She takes a second to cool down* "I hate dealing with people who think. Why couldn't I have been on the same team as all the idiots on the other one?" *She strokes her chin* "There are a lot of people on this team to get revenge on."

* * *

That evening, the teens of the Bass squad sat once more round the campfire.

"You know guys, this losing streak really needs to end. It's bad for ratings if the same team wins every time." Chris smirk broadened. "But at this rate, a turnaround seems most unlikely."

"Can we juth get thith over with? We're all tired."

"Yeah, I need to get my beauty sleep or my hair will be, like, really messed up!" Lindsay pleaded.

"Fine, fine. The following people get marshmallows: Katie, Sadie, Beth, Lindsay, Tyler, Izzy, Ezekiel, and Justin."

"But that only leaves DJ." Katie observed. "Isn't there, like, supposed to be a dramatic pause here or something?"

"There would be if he hadn't received every vote. Including his own." The host admitted with annoyance. "DJ, the dock of shame awaits, bro."

The large teen pulled his things out from behind the stump he sat on and trotted slowly down the dock. Nobody on the dock could see the tears streaming down his face as he boarded the boat of losers and was taken away from the island.

"Well that was quite the finish to today's challenge. Will the Bass ever break their losing streak? Are the Gophers unbeatable despite their many internal conflicts? Do we need to get a restraining order on Eva for the safety of everyone here? Tune in next week to find out on another exciting episode of Total Drama Island!"

* * *

**Confessional**:

Justin: *The model looks very disappointed and worried. He cannot even spare a glance at his mirror*

Beth: "I feel bad for DJ, but he really did let the team down. Sorry."

Lindsay: "I hope BJ feels better when he gets home."

DJ: "I failed you mamma. I failed the team." *He breaks down crying*

Ezekiel: "Izzy and I agreed that voting for anyone other than DJ would be a waste and would just bring needless anger from Justin."

Tyler: "DJ's head just wasn't in the game today. It is my fault after all that Leshawna was voted off last time and that pushed him over the edge, but I can't throw away my chance with Lindsay by voting out of line."

* * *

**End Notes**

* * *

Sorry to all the DJ fans out there. I was originally going to have him kicked out first for being a chicken, but I ended up putting his elimination here instead. As I see it, DJ doesn't really need nearly the same character development some of the other campers do, so I am not giving up as much potential drama by letting him go as I would with other characters. He could use some courage, but otherwise he is one of the nicest people on the show. There is always next season, man.

We will see how much my recent return to college affects my writing. I can assure you that I will continue, regardless and hopefully the pace won't be much worse than this chapter was if not a little faster. I would have broken up this chapter if I had found a good spot to, but since I kept going back and fiddling with the beginning, it is for the best that this was released as a single larger chapter.

As always, please leave me your thoughts, I love reading them.


	7. Chapter 7: Break - Part 1

Disclaimer: "I do not own Total Drama. If I did...well that is why I'm writing this after all. You will find out I might have done things soon enough."

Authorial Notations: Thanks again for the reviews. Especially hoping to hear from you again Rufus.

It's nice to know that, even though everything the characters say is what I have them say, only one shows it. Thanks for the chuckle.

Sorry for the long delay. Aerospace Engineering is a tricky field. Not to mention I always like to let new thoughts for a chapter stew for a couple days to see if I like them. So when I get several ideas...well anyways. I want to make sure I have everything more or less perfect before I publish to avoid going back and changing things like I did before. Hilariously enough, I wrote 2000 something words the first two days before the rate dropped. It's easy to write when one knows exactly what is going to happen. But with so many variables and alternate possibilities to consider, things can get out of hand.

Thanks for your patience. And fear not, if for some reason I decided to end this story prematurely (or go on an extended hiatus), I will let you know. And I would give you a basic outline of what I planned to happen.

Yes this is a short chapter, but when I realized that the challenge as a whole could be over 10,000 words (which was far more recently than I care to admit...as in last night), I decided to go ahead and give you this first part of the challenge. On the bright side, the rest of the challenge is fairly close to being done, so it should hopefully be up within a week.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Beak a Leg - Part 1**

* * *

Chris is standing on the Dock of Shame, twirling a dodge ball on his finger.

"Last time on Total Drama Island!" *Picture of the dodge ball game* "I decided to give these kids yet another easy challenge, so I had them play a simple game of dodge ball, best of five games wins. The Bass rallied behind Justin, despite some previous disagreements, presenting a mostly unified front. At the other extreme, the Gophers were and still are dealing with a power struggle." *Courtney and Heather arguing* "Courtney and Heather both wanted to lead the team, and the CIT did manage to gain an edge on the queen bee. Said edge was promptly lost when the team decided it was better to have the rageaholic Eva, who ended the previous challenge ripping their doors out, lead instead due to her obvious athletic experience."

"During the game, we found out pretty boy Justin had nearly as much muscle as looks and he did manage to take out Eva several times. But, in the end, her brute strength and speed managed to get another win for the team almost single-handedly. She even managed to _catch_ Izzy." *Eva lifting Izzy and the ball high overhead* "And I'm pretty sure Harold did something mildly important...can't remember what though. And, in what was the lamest campfire ceremony yet, the Bass unanimously kicked out DJ for putting little effort into the challenge and generally moping around, which all makes for bad television."

"This marks the third win in a row for the Gophers who are now up three campers. Can the Bass ever hope to recover? Will the Gophers be able to hold their increasingly fractured team together? Find out the answers to all these questions and more on another thrill-packed episode of Total! Drama! Island!"

***Cue Theme***

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The sun dawns on another day at Camp Wawanakwa to find some of the campers awake. On the beach, we find Noah sitting comfortably in a recliner chair under the shade of an umbrella and...wait for it...reading a book and enjoying the solitude.

"WAAHOOO!" Owen exclaimed as he catapulted himself off the dock and curled into a ball. A small tidal wave zoomed down the shoreline towards and unfortunate bookworm. Without even looking at the impending deluge of water, Noah pulled the chair's umbrella out of its holder and aimed it towards the wave. When the wave hit a moment later, he was virtually untouched.

"Morning Owen. Up a little early aren't we?" He asked, calmly replacing the drenched umbrella.

"Oh, hey man." The large teen replied with a wave. "I was feeling a little gassy so I went to the bathroom. But when I saw how great the water looked, I just had to jump in."

"Hopefully after using the bathroom."

"Well, I um..." He trailed off as several large bubbles surfaced next to him.

"Lovely." The bookworm sniffed the air and crinkled his nose in disgust. "How can I smell it already? I think I will stay out of the water for some time."

"What's going...Owen?!" Cody asked, holding his nose and waving back to swimming friend with his other hand. Owen's...um...problem had caught up with him and he made a beeline for the bathroom.

"Your're up too?" Noah asked incredulously. "What happened to lazy, oversleeping teens?"

"I had some trouble sleeping so I was just going for a walk."

"Something on your mind?" Noah inquired, looking over from his book for the first time.

"Nothing. Nothing serious anyways." The geek looked at the ground and awkwardly kicked some of the sand.

"...Right." He clearly did not believe it.

"Why are you up?" Cody asked, eager to change the subject.

"Trying to enjoy some _quiet_ time to read before all the little noise makers wake up. It wasn't very effective today."

"Oh...sorry for interrupting you dude." Cody hung his head and started to trudge away.

"Don't mope. You're here now. Why don't you pull up a chair and work on that tan you keep saying you wish you had."

"Cool." The noticeably cheerier geek pulled up a chair and lay back with a contented smile on his face.

The two relaxed in silence for a quarter of an hour before Noah of all people broke the stillness.

"You have got to be kidding me." He drawled. When Cody shot him a questioning glance, he pointed down the beach where two figures could be seen walking together. After staring for a moment he continued. "Looks like miss CIT keeps an early schedule. And she's dragged Bridgette along. She might be grateful for someone else to talk to right about now, Cody." Before he had finished making his comment, said boy was already moving as quickly as he could without running to intercept the two girls.

Within a minute of reaching the two, Cody and Bridgette walked off on their own while Courtney continued on her own down the beach towards Noah.

"You're up early." The brunette observed as she passed by.

"Yep. Being lazy all the time is too much effort."

"Clever..." She drawled with a roll of her eyes.

"Why thank you. I do pride myself on it."

"Whatever." She started strolling away but stopped and looked closely at the object in Noah's hands. "Is that the same book you've been reading all week?"

"It's a complete anthology of Sherlock Holmes. So, yes."

"Big fan of mysteries?"

"Somewhat. You?"

"I appreciate the intellectual exercise they present, but I hate it when they don't give enough information to figure it out on your own. Feels artificial."

"True enough." The bookworm nodded. "So how goes things with Bridgette. How did you convince her to get up so early?"

"Actually, she often gets up early to go for a swim. She simply agreed to come along with me today. Things are going fine. Not sure why you care or why you are so suspicious."

"I'm not the suspicious one. It has been most entertaining to watch you mismanage your 'friends'. One's gone, how long will the other last?"

"Why are you so hostile? I might have made some mistakes, but do you have to rub it in?"

"I blame a lifetime of being on the receiving end." His expression became more earnest tough his voice remained monotone. "Just watch yourself."

"Why do you care?" Courtney eyed him suspiciously.

"I have my reasons."

"So you do care? Plan on sharing why?"

"Nope. To both." He quickly replied.

"You're impossible."

"I try." He smirk broadened markedly.

The CIT huffed in annoyance and headed back towards the cabins.

"What's eating her?" Came a new voice.

"Alright," The bookworm exclaimed, "are there any teens here NOT up at sunrise? Do I have to get up earlier to get peace and quiet."

"I know that feeling." Almost as soon as Gwen had finished speaking, indistinct shouting could be heard drifting down from the girls' side of the Gopher cabin. "At least the sunrise looks nice. Not a cloud in the sky"

"I suppose it is." He admitted after looking at it for less than a second. All he got in reply was the sound of scribbling followed by the sound of paper being crinkled and thrown aside followed by yet more scribbling. Noah reached down and picked up the discarded sketch.

"Not too shabby."

"Thanks." the goth replied absentmindedly.

He pocketed the paper unobserved and continued to read for nearly an hour, Gwen spending the entire time trying to get a sketch she was pleased with, before the wake up call sounded on the speaker system signaling breakfast.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Cody approached the two girls, eager to take the opportunity to talk to Bridgette. They apparently did not see him approaching and he couldn't help but overhear what they were saying.

"I just can't believe he thinks it is his job to tell me what to do."

"I've said it before Court; I'm sure he means the best." Bridgette reassured, though she did not sound like she meant it.

_Or maybe that was because of the number of times she has had to repeat it._ The geek thought. He decided to go ahead and interrupt.

"Hey ladies." He said, a 'cool' grin on his face or at least what he thought was 'cool guy' smile.

"Hey Cody." The surfer replied with a friendly wave and a smile of her own.

The CIT rolled her eyes at the display. "We'll talk about it more later." She proclaimed before strutting down the beach on her own.

"That sure sounded like...fun."

"You heard that?" She asked worriedly.

"Only a bit just now."

"Oh, ok. How are things with you?"

"Fine. Fine. She sure sounded angry about something." He replied, quickly turning the subject away from himself.

"It's really not my story to tell."

"It was about Trent wasn't it?"

"Cody, please. Just drop it."

"Ok, ok. What do you think we're doing in the challenge today?"

"Good question. For her own mental health, I hope it's something Courtney's good at."

"Mental health? That sounds awfully serious."

"She just has a lot on her mind. I think having to focus on running the challenge will help her."

They talked for a little while longer before heading for the dining hall shortly after the wake up call sounded.

* * *

**Confessional**

Cody: "Mental health?"

Bridgette: "I know he means well, but I am not a gossip." *She sighs deeply* "I do worry about Court. She always takes every critique so personally, like it's a physical blow. I think she is acting far too paranoid about poor Trent."

Courtney: "I hope she didn't just tell Cody what I told her in confidence."

Chris: "Nope, just the viewing audience. Funny how these things work, eh?"

* * *

Shortly after breakfast, we find the campers sitting in their separate teams in front of a makeshift stage on which Chris currently stands.

"Today we have another summer camp favorite: The Talent Contest. Both teams will select three members to compete. Anything goes as long as it's legal. Duncan."

The punk snapped his fingers in annoyance.

"And it has to be something you can do on this stage. So surfing is not an option."

Bridgette sighed in disappointment.

"Your talents will be judged this afternoon by none other than that DJ of DJs, the talent scouts of talent scouts, Grand-master Chef himself. So you guys have from now till then to prepare. Get to it!"

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"Alright Bass. I know we have been frustrated in our endeavors so far by the Gophers, but I have a plan. Who has a talent to offer?" Justin stood in the middle of a semicircle formed by his team and looked back and forth expectantly. Nobody was eager to volunteer. "I am sure some of you are nervous about performing, so I will offer up my own talent first. Can you get a bucket of water for me Sadie?"

"Sure thing!" The larger of the pink twins ran off and returned a minute later.

"Thank you." With a speed and precision that must have been achieved through countless repetition, the model whipped off his shirt and splashed the water in the bucket on his head, repeatedly posing as the water droplets ran down his naked chest.

Every girl in the camp stared and dropped their jaws at the gorgeous sight. The guys looked on in envy at the ease with which he had grabbed a hold of the girl's attention. Unfortunately for the ladies, the window into heaven was soon closed when the model put his shirt back on.

* * *

**Confessional**

Lindsay: "Justin..."

Beth: "ith..."

Katie/Sadie: "like the..."

Heather: "hottest..."

Eva: "manliest..."

Gwen: "hunkiest..."

Bridgette: "piece of..."

Izzy: "man candy I have ever seen!" *She slaps herself* "Stop that. He's evil!"

Courtney: *She is staring off into space dreamily*

Chris: "True beauty on display. I hope these swine can appreciate the pearls thrown before them."

Harold: "Taking off your shirt isn't a talent. I have real skills."

Noah: "The only thing that will save us from _that_ is an incredibly convenient volcano."

* * *

"So, who else has a talent to share? Don't be shy."

"I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow, eh."

"Show us what you can do, man."

"I just need to get it from the cabin first."

"In the meantime, does anyone else have a talent to offer?"

"Oh, I can twirl fire batonth."

"Another good idea, Beth. Do you have them with you?"

"No, give me a thecond." The farm girl scampered off towards the cabins close on the heels of her prairie teammate.

"Oh, I can do my cheerleading routine. Be right back." Lindsay took off to get her things.

"And we have some, like, totally cool dance moves to show off." Katie and Sadie squeed before running off as well.

"Just wait till you see my yo-yo skills man. Catch you in a sec." So eager was Tyler to retrieve his toy that he tripped on his feet as he stood up and ended up face planting.

"Considering how this is going so far, if anyone else needs something, go ahead and get it. We will meet back here in fifteen minutes." Justin instructed. He looked around to find that everyone had left already.

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***The screen goes black and the Bass logo appears and grows larger before turning around to reveal the Gopher logo and receding back into the screen***

"So unless Eva also happens to be an expert with talent shows, I think I should lead the team for this challenge."

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "Would I have loved to nominate myself? You can bet your life! But I know that would never happen. I just need to play things low key, as much as I hate to, until I get a chance to safely strike at the losers on this team who have wronged me." *She counts on her fingers* "Which is nearly all of them. They should all watch their backs."

Courtney: "I hope the team doesn't try to put up another doped up ape as an alternative to me. I am the ideal leader for this challenge."

Trent: *He is lightly tapping his chin. His eye occasionally twitching* "I guess I'll play along. See if she really has anything meaningful to contribute to the team."

* * *

"Any objections?" She scanned the team, eyebrow raised. Some campers looked ready to object, but none of them did. "Good, so those of you who have a talent to share, get what you need and meet back here in ten minutes."

The Gopher's dispersed, most heading back to the cabins to get some item or other. Courtney had just retrieved her violin when she ran into someone. A very handsome someone.

"Oh, excuse me." Justin said with a smile. "Courtney, yes?"

"Yes..." The CIT responded dreamily. She shook her head before continuing. "I really shouldn't be talking to someone from the other team."

"We wouldn't want your team getting the wrong idea, would we? You are too valuable to be kicked over a misunderstanding."

"I sure...alright, what is your angle in all this? I enjoy the complements and all, but I find it hard to believe you are just being nice."

Justin's smile was replaced by a look of hurt that almost brought the brunette to tears. "I assure you, I have nothing in mind but admiring your leadership. I fear our team will lose again with you heading the Gophers."

"Awww...um, when have you seen me lead?" Her voice contained a hint of suspicion.

"Back on the first day of the game you lead your team in constructing the hot tub. Most impressive."

"Oh, right. As I recall, your team almost won that challenge."

"Yes." He paused long enough to let out a poignant sigh. "Geoff's sabotage was abhorrent. I hope you do not suffer from traitors like our team has. They are a cancer that needs to be rooted out."

"That is disturbingly eloquent... And that is not how the Gopher's operate. We stand...together!" She put her hands on her hips and glared though she clearly did not believe her own words.

"Then the best of luck to you. Though I must hope that finicky lady decides to smile on the Bass today. I best be off to rejoin my team. It was nice to chat." With a quick wave and another smile, the model headed back to where his team was reassembling.

* * *

**Confessional**

Courtney: "Nice to know someone here appreciates my leadership skills, even if he is on the other team." *She sighs regretfully* "And not that I would let the other team know about any of our weaknesses, but he is right, that backstabbing Trent is going to have to go. So much for my original plan. Maybe I can find a way to ensure the team sends him away. I still cannot believe he had the gall to tell me how to treat my friends. Some people!"

Justin: *He kicks back on the toilet, his feet perched on a beam on the opposite wall. He pulls out a small cube and perches it on the edge of his hand. With a sinister grin, he pushes it off*

* * *

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

"Alright, who is going first?" Courtney inquired.

Without hesitation Harold stood up and walked to the front of the group. He inhaled deeply.

"Next."

"Why are you brushing him off like that, Courtney?" Bridgette asked.

"You think anything he has to offer will be good?"

"You know it won't?"

"It's a calculated risk."

"Don't bother with her, Bridgette." Harold interjected. "If she doesn't want to use my mad skills to represent the team it's her loss." The nerd retook his seat next to the surfer.

"Anyone else?"

"Cause the way you shot Harold down is just so encouraging for the rest of us." Noah drawled from behind his book.

"Do you have something to offer, smart-ass?"

"Nothing _you_ would consider worthy, certainly."

She rolled her eyes. "Since nobody else is volunteering, I guess it is up to me to show how it is done." So saying, she reached for her violin, put the instrument to her chin, and performed a short piece. Even those who couldn't stand the CIT had to admit she was a good musician and the consensus that she would be one of the competitors was reached.

"Now, who is next?"

"Why don't you audition, Trent?" Gwen whispered. "From what I've heard, you're really good."

"Having a second musician would be redundant, Gwen." Courtney interjected having somehow managed to overhear her.

"Well, I might as well go next." Heather interjected. She was wearing a pink tutu and, after putting a nice classical piece of music on, proceeded to dance a short performance, receiving polite applause from the others.

"As much as it pains me to say it, that could very well be what we need. If we cannot find anyone better, then I suppose we can use you." Courtney grumbled.

"That is so nice. Thank you!" The queen bee said with a smile before retaking her seat.

The CIT looked more unsettled by the polite reply then the insult she anticipated.

"Oh, watch this!" Owen exclaimed. He had somehow managed to acquire a multi-gallon container of soda which he preceded to chug at an alarming rate. The instant he finished, he promptly burped out the alphabet.

"That was awesome, man." Trent exclaimed, giving the large teen a high five.

"You cannot be serious! There is no way you are doing that in the show. You're disgusting." Courtney fumed, leaving Owen rather dejected.

"You do have a way with people." Gwen smirked.

"Must have been the CIT training." Noah added.

"Neither of you are contributing much. Who else?"

"Think having Eva break the back of one of the Bass over her knee would count?" Heather interjected. She was unaffected by the glares she was receiving from said athlete.

An awkward silence followed.

"I know, I can stand on my hands for twenty minutes." Bridgette stood up and walked towards the middle of the group.

"No way." Cody replied.

"Ante up." The surfer challenged, chocolate bar in hand.

The geek's eyes lit at the thought of acquiring more candy and he quickly bet a few pieces of his own.

"I want a piece of that action." Harold pulled out some more candy to add.

Before long, a small pile of candy and other assorted baubles had been assembled.

"Alright. Twenty minutes starting...now!" She flipped over onto her hands and began walking around in a small circle.

"I really don't think..."

"Watch out!" The blonde gopher cried out as she lost her balance and toppled over. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately from the view of all the other Gophers, she fell on top of Courtney, knocking the CIT out cold.

"Oh no, are you ok?"

Courtney did not respond. She was out cold after all. She obviously did not hear me the first time.

"Let's take her to the medical tent." Bridgette suggested.

"Be careful with her head, she might me hurt worse than she looks." Harold added. The two of them put one of her arms on each of their shoulders and gently carried her away.

"Well, in case she doesn't feel well enough to perform tonight, why don't you have something prepared as backup, Trent?" Heather instructed.

"Sure thing." Trent looked pleased at the opportunity.

"Why are you acting nice all of a sudden?" Gwen asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.

"Just looking out for the team." The queen bee said with her unusually genuine smile.

* * *

**Confessional**

Gwen: "No way is Heather doing this 'for the good of the team'. She is working some angle."

* * *

"I find that very hard to believe." Noah smirked.

"Just shut..." She stopped herself. "Believe what you want, I gave my reason."

"Would you believe, 'for my own good with a bit of the team's'?" Cody countered with a cheeky grin.

"No." The bookworm smirked at his reply.

"How about, 'just mine'?" Owen added.

The three started laughing uncontrollably and giving each other high-fives.

Heather looked ready to eat them alive, but she restrained herself and did not reply.

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Meanwhile, the Bass had reassembled and were running through their own talents.

Ezekiel started by showing off his skills with a bow and arrow. He had set up several wooden stakes in a line several feet apart each topped by a small plastic ring and was just stringing his weapon.

"Where have I seen this before?" Justin mused to himself.

"Here goes." After taking several seconds to steady himself, the prairie teen loosed an arrow, sending it sailing through the rings and into a nearby tree.

"Not too shabby, Ezekiel, I think we may have one of our talents." The Bass team gave a round of applause, genuinely impressed by the feat.

Blushing at the attention, the boy gave a quick bow and continued retrieving his equipment.

"Who wants to go next?"

"Wait till you see what I can do with this!" Tyler jumped up and whipped out a yo-yo. He started out fine, twirling it in several simple patterns, but as soon as he tried to do some remotely complicated moves, he ended up hopelessly tied up. The team attempted to keep themselves from laughing, but they all failed miserably. All except Lindsay, who had not been paying attentions, her focus solely on a lose strand of hair shifting from side to side on her forehead.

"That was sure...something. Who else?" Justin managed to say when he finally stopped laughing.

"Oh, Oh, Izzy can twirl fire batons!" Said girl pulled out her two weapons of choice and somehow managed to light them on fire without any visible source. She began to twirl them rapidly, mesmerizing the audience with her display. She then threw them in the air, did a back flip, and easily caught them again. After another half minute, she launched the two batons in front of her, forcing several Bass to quickly duck. A second later, they returned like boomerangs to be caught up again. Izzy gave an exaggerated bow and retook her place.

'Impressive, most impressive. Didn't you say you had something, Beth?"

"Um..."

* * *

**Confessional**

Beth: "How wath I thuppothed to come after that? She is far better at this than me." *She sighs loudly*

* * *

''Yeah, I wath going to twirl my batonth too. But now I don't think I will."

"Come on Beth, don't be shy." Justin comforted with a pat on the back.

She shivered slightly at his touch. "Thure thing!"

The farm girl started to spin her batons after lighting them on fire. Compared to the previous performance, she was not inspiring much confidence.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Katie asked.

"Yeah, I've been practithing."

A moment later she released the flaming sticks into the air. Instead of coming straight back down, they started moving erratically, zooming back and forth in gravity defying paths. The Bass all dove for the nearest cover they could find before one of the rods burned a hole in the ground. The other one took out the camera man, sending the video camera to the ground.

"Well...if we ever need to seriously injure someone..." Justin tried to search for something else positive to say but he ended up trailing off into silence. "Anyone else?"

Lindsay quickly sprang to her feet, pom poms in hand and sporting a skin-tight cheer-leading outfit. "This is part of a routine we have been practicing back home."

She began dancing, her routine full of fairly impressive athletic jumps and spins. Tyler couldn't help but stare slack jawed at the...um...shall we say... bounciness of the performance, a small stream of drool oozing from his mouth. Ezekiel's eyes were nearly as wide as Tyler's mouth was open, a situation soon rectified by a slap to the back of the head from Izzy.

Justin's eyes were also focused on the performance, but he actually looked to be judging her based on her routine.

"That was pretty impressive Lindsay, another strong contender for the talent show." He complemented when finished. "Do you ladies have something for us?"

"Yes!" Katie and Sadie squealed in unison.

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Heather had returned to the cabin, claiming she needed some privacy to practice. And privacy she had, for no other Gophers, male or female, were to be found. Before the door had even completely closed, she was looking through the other girls belongings.

* * *

**Confessional**:

Heather: "This challenge seems like the perfect opportunity to dish out revenge to someone on this team. There are so many choices. I am sick and tired of competing with Courtney to lead the team. If it weren't for her, I doubt anyone would have tried to question me. And combine her and Trent shooting death glares at each other the past couple days with the fact that I didn't argue with her leading today and I seriously doubt she is gunning for me. This might be the perfect opportunity to put one over on her."

*She counts off two more fingers*

"Harold and Duncan are both betrayed me and will be dealt with in time, but I need to rope at least one of them back in for the moment. Without a doubt, the mercenary punk will be far easier."

*Another finger*

"Noah...even if I go through with my threat and tell everyone about him manipulating Owen I doubt it will make a difference. Since the lard ball has forgiven him, the team would as well. I will just wait for him to make another, real screw up and get rid of him then."

*Another*

"And don't think I've forgotten about Eva. That monster may have won us the last challenge, but she didn't win any friends with the way she did it. She is, and will likely remain, friendless. The problem is her weakness is also her greatest strength. As long as the teams are around, nobody will want to get rid of an automatic win in any physical challenge."

*She taps the five fingers on her knee repeatedly*

"I will have to be discreet in getting my enemies eliminated, as much as it pains me to be so. But until I get a rock solid alliance, or some serious blackmail material, I cannot risk being excessively antagonistic."

* * *

She started by rummaging through Eva's things but after several minutes, she stopped.

"I was sure she had steroids or something else illegal. Let's see what Gwen has, I know she has been keeping a diary."

It did not take long for her to find what she sought.

"Under her pillow, really? Weird goth girl clearly wasn't expecting anyone to go looking for it."

She scanned page after page, rapidly taking in what was written down. She must have done this before. Some of the earlier pages cause Heather to raise her eyebrow in curiosity while others broadened her already large evil smirk.

"So, the reclusive goth does have a crush on someone here. And after only a little more than a week to boot. Fascinating. Trent would be most...interested in seeing this."

She scanned a few more pages when something else caught her eye on another bed.

"Does snotty CIT keep a diary too?" She flipped though several pages of the small booklet before sighing in annoyance. "No, it's just a to do list. Nothing to see here. Even if the fact she used this entire thing over the course of half a week is moderately disturbing." Heather couldn't help but notice several identical booklet's sticking out of Courtney's bags. As she looked through them she let out a low chuckle. "So long, Courtney."

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Justin surveyed his surroundings with pride. The members of the Bass team were practicing their talents and tension had spiked dramatically on the Gopher team. There was one other thing that he had to do.

"Izzy, Ezekiel, can I talk to you two for a moment?"

"Sure." The prairie teen replied with some trepidation after losing the arrow he currently had notched. The pair walked out of hearing distance from the others and took a seat on the grass. "You're not going to try and turn Izzy and me against each other are you? Cause that will never work."

"That, my friend, would be a waste of my time. And extraordinarily dangerous to the continued well being of my pretty face."

The red haired girl joined them a moment later via a nearby low hanging vine.

"So, Justin, what do you want from Izzy and Zeke?" She inquired with a glare.

"Hopefully it's not blackmail again?" Ezekiel added.

"Again? Surely you don't think I was blackmailing you when I told you it was in your best interest to vote of Leshawna? She would have told the team after I was gone. DJ of all people was having trouble forgetting it after all. I have no such plans regardless of how you respond to my offer."

"Your offer? Is this some kind of trick? Izzy hates tricky people! Unless they're me, of course."

Justin let out a warmhearted chuckle. "You are something else, Izzy." His face grew more serious as he stood up and started pacing. "Let's face the facts, the teams are rigged. All my encouraging words cannot change that. We did not lose the last three challenges due to bad luck. If we are lucky, some of the Bass will make it out of the slow-moving train wreck that is our team. I, of course intend to be one of them, and I bet you two would like to as well. Come the merge, I stand a better chance working with you then I do working with any of the others on our team."

"You don't want revenge for us voting against you before?" Ezekiel queried.

Izzy face palmed. "Why would you tell him that to his face?"

"Revenge is a sucker's game. I noticed your determination to vote for me despite not getting along with Leshawna. If we can build that kind of trust and loyalty between us, then the game will be an easy win."

"And if we say no?"

"I cannot imagine why you would."

"I cannot imagine why we wouldn't, eh. Not after you eliminated Geoff and Leshawna for not being under your control. How do we know this isn't a ploy to get us to let our guards down?"

"You think I had them eliminated because they didn't follow me around like mindless ducklings?" He let loose a slightly harsher laugh. "After Geoff lost the first challenge for us and Leshawna lost the second? I had them voted off for the good of the team. Considering the position we are in, we cannot have anyone holding us back."

Izzy started to speak but was cut off.

"You don't have to tell me now. You two think it over and let me know what you choose."

* * *

**Confessional**

Ezekiel: *Seated in the chair* "So what do you think?"

Izzy: *Hanging upside down from the ceiling, her hair falling behind the prairie boy's head* "We should totally tell the others what he thinks of them."

Ezekiel: "You know as well as I do that he would deny everything. And they aren't going to trust us over him."

Izzy: "Izzy can dream, can't she?"

Ezekiel: "You still haven't told me what you think, eh."

Izzy: *She flips around and lands on her feet, an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face. Then, in a voice that barely sounds like her usual light, crazy self* "He is right about the team. And, boasting aside, we are two of the better Bass players. Maybe he is being truthful." *She strokes her chin* "I think we can trust him till the merge. It would probably be in our best interest to get rid of him afterwords. It's not like we have much of a choice anyways."

Ezekiel: "I cannot decide whether you are scarier when you are crazy or when you are serious."

Izzy: *Her face brightens with her usual crazy smile* "Izzy cannot decide either. But being crazy is certainly more fun!" *She then swings out through the confessional door with a cackle.*

* * *

The Gophers were also hard at work. Or, at least the two of the three performing later were. The rest were sitting around, passing the time as they saw fit. Eva looked to be having an argument with herself for quite some time before she finally got up and walked over to Noah.

"I...uh...wanted to thank you for suggesting that I lead the team in the dodge-ball game."

"Don't take it personally; the welfare of the team was my highest priority."

After one final moment of hesitation she continued. "Did you leave me the note after the second challenge?"

"No. What did this note say?" The bookworm's interest in the conversation was rapidly growing.

"Nothing." The athlete grumbled. She walked back to her previous seat and continued listening to her music.

* * *

**Confessional**

Eva: "I hate this cloak and dagger stuff. Better to face the enemy in the open."

* * *

Meanwhile, Trent sat a little removed from the rest of the team, strumming a simple, repeating chord, and occasionally scribbling notes onto a scrap of paper.

"Writing something for later, Beethoven?"

The musician was startled by the interruption, but a smile quickly spread across his face when he saw who it was. "Hey, Gwen." He quickly stuffed the paper into his pocket. "And yes. Though I want to keep in practice anyways."

"Can I see?"

"Sure..." He said with the slightest hint of reluctance. "I thought you said the other day you haven't kept in practice with the piano."

"I still remember how to read music." She said with a chuckle. "You're very neat, especially considering your writing on the ground."

"Lots and lots of practice. With a bit of practice on the side. And I managed to occasionally squeeze some practice in there somewhere."

"No words yet?"

"In my head."

The goth tried to hum the tune, much to Trent's amusement.

"Very nice. I hope you enjoy listening to it later."

Gwen handed the music back and pulled out a sketchbook. "Mind if I join you?"

"I usually prefer solitude when writing lyrics, but I you are welcome to hang around till then."

* * *

**Confessional**

Gwen: "After talking with a guy for nearly twenty four hours straight, you can't help but feel at least a little comfortable hanging around him, right? And his music is very pretty for a work in progress."

Trent: "She'll hear the words soon enough. I hope she appreciates them."

* * *

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

* * *

**End Notes**

* * *

Sorry again for the delay. I admit this breaking point is rather abrupt, but the talent show is about to start and this looked like the best place to split. The rest of the challenge should be up relatively soon. As always, let me know what you think. Till next time.

Oh, and it's Ar - gu (gouda cheese) - das (a as in apple)


	8. Chapter 8: Break - Part 2

Disclaimer: It is best for your own sanity to know that everything on the earth already belongs to me. Just a helpful fyi. Nothing you do matters. Muah ha ha. Just checking if anyone reads this thing. I really indulge myself far too much with these things.

Author Notes: Thanks as always for the reviews. I have found the hardest thing to do when writing is pacing. I could easily write really long dialog scenes where we find out a lot about a character, but then there is little left to do for the rest of the story. And let's face it, much of the time in TD and most of its fanfictions, when a character gets a spike of attention or development, it's cause they're about to leave. It is painful when I am reading someone's story (specifically a longer one like a season rewrite) and characters become best friends for life and get into relationships overnight. That said, quite a bit of important development happens in this chapter for several characters and hopefully it all makes sense considering what has happened so far. You can blame them for the time it took to write this chapter and challenge as a whole.

**Rufus** (After writing a comment longer than some of the stories I see on this site, I have to respond): I'm a guy. I could write a whole a lot in response considering all you wrote, but I will keep it brief. Courtney is arguably the toughest character for me to write for the exact reason you specified. I hate it when stories either lift her up as a mostly infallible protagonist or place her below Heather as the foulest of villains. That goes for every character, but it happens to her more than most.

And Justin...yeah. Basically as far as I'm concerned, Alejandro and Justin are the same character though I plan on giving him his own style. The former is just the archetype done right as opposed to the complete mess that the writers made of the poor model. I will certainly talk more about this much later on (after the end of the first season).

And thanks again for giving this a read over.

Ask and you shall receive, JD127. Though it really had little to do with you. :-P

Anywho, enough with the delays and on with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Beak a Leg - Part 2**

* * *

Meanwhile, at the medical tent, Courtney was just coming to, her head tightly bandaged and, judging by her face, causing quite some pain. Bridgette had been rocking back and forth on a nearby chair anxiously but promptly rushed to her friend's side.

"How you feeling, Court?" The surfer inquired, a look of concern spread across her face.

"Like hell." The CIT grumbled. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I had looked away just before I got hit. Otherwise I would have easily dodged the blow."

"Well..." Bridgette confessed, "it was my fault. I lost my balance and fell on you while I was trying to do a handstand." She braced herself for the string of insults that was certain to ensue.

"Oh..." the brunette replied, her voice devoid of any hints to her feelings. She let out a loud sigh. "I guess it's alright. I'm sure you didn't mean."

"...Thank you." The surfer hugged her friend which she returned after a moment's hesitation. "I guess we need to find another person to perform instead?"

"What!? I can do this easy. I've never let a minor setback like this keep me from performing."

"Nobody is going to think worse of you if you back out of performing after getting hit in the head."

"And depend on someone else to do the job properly?" She asked with arms crossed. "I don't want to take the risk."

"There are some people with real talents on this team, you just need to give them a chance."

"Whatever" she said condescendingly, "I feel good enough to rejoin the team." She delicately got to her feet and stumbled towards the exit. She managed to trip over her own feet and almost face planted before Bridgette caught her.

"Seriously, you don't have to do this. There are plenty of people who can replace you for this..."

"I am irreplaceable! Without me we will not win!" the CIT snapped, "Even the OTHER team sees my value...but not the idiots on this one!" before pulling herself up by sheer force of will and left the tent.

Bridgette could only sigh and follow her teammate.

* * *

**Confessional**

Bridgette: *From the look of her hair one would think she had been standing in a wind tunnel* "I don't know what's gotten into her. Sure she insists on leading, but this is getting ridiculous."

* * *

After a day's worth of auditioning and practice, the time had finally arrived. The two teams were once again gathered around the makeshift stage with Chris at the center.

"Welcome back, it is time for the world to witness the sorry 'talents' you have prepared. Let's start with the Bass. Everyone give it up for the home-schooled prairie boy, Ezekiel!"

The toque sporting teen made his way to the stage to the sound of polite applause from his team. Like before, a line of rings mounted on wooden posts had been set up with a target hung on a tree at the end. This time, there were ten rings in a row, twice the previous number. He stung his bow and took aim, slowing his breathing like a practiced huntsman. He still hadn't loosed his arrow after ten seconds.

"You can't do it, loser!" Heather shouted.

He didn't respond, his focus solely on his aim. Without warning, he let his arrow go.

Time seemed to move far slower for the Bass than it had a right to. The projectile cleared one, two, three, four rings, then a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, an eighth, a ninth. The arrow seemed to come to a complete stop before the last loop, it was heading straight for the ring. It was going to bounce off! As the tip collided with the ring, it slowly slid back towards the center and just made it through, embedding itself in the target.

"That was pretty impressive, Zeke!" Chris managed to shout over the cheers of the prairie boy's teammates. As soon as the noise level started to die down he continued. "Let's hear what Grand-master Chef has to say."

Said man was seated at a table to the side of the stage. After a moment's thought, he spoke. "I respect a man who can handle a weapon. And that is some of the finest shootin I've seen in some time. I give it a eight-n-half out a ten."

"W00t! Showing them how it's done!" Izzy shouted, giving her teammate a high-five. While she was the most vocal, all the other Bass congratulated him verbally or with high fives as well.

* * *

**Confessional**

Noah: *Chuckling lightly with a genuine smile on his face* "Can he build giant wooden horses as well?"

* * *

"Let's see what the Gophers have to offer. Up first is Courtney playing the violin."

The CIT stumbled onto the stage, her head still tightly bandaged.

"Um, are you sure you're ok?" Chris asked, an unusually concerned look on his face.

"Yes, I can do this." After steadying herself, she began to play. Assuming the term 'play' is used loosely. Loud, painful screeching filled the air, causing everyone listening to cover their ears.

"Stop, please." Chris asked.

The pain did not stop.

"I said stop! This isn't even funny-bad."

"Please, Courtney. This isn't helping the team." Bridgette pleaded.

Still she continued. The perfectly honest criticisms doing nothing to dissuade her.

A loud crash came from the side of the stage. Chef had flipped the table he was sitting at and now steadily approached the performer, who was blissfully unaware of her impending doom. As soon as he was in range, he snatched the violin from her hand and snapped it across his knee like it was made of Balsa wood. The brunette could only stare in horror.

"Never in all my years have I heard such..." In his rage Chef was lost for words. "I would give you a negative score if I could, but I spoze a zero will have ta do." After another couple seconds of fuming, which felt like an eternity for the poor girl on the stage, the large black man brushed himself off, and resumed his previous station after righting the table.

"Chef, the cost of the violin is coming out of your salary." Chris coldly informed. "That said," he continued as he returned to his normal tone of voice, "you were that bad so the score sticks. Looks like playing a violin a couple hours after being knocked out cold is not a good idea, so don't try it kids at home! Up next for the Bass: Justin."

The model took the stage sporting a grin stretching from ear to ear. He struck several poses much to the glee of the females present, then reached for a low-hanging rope. Before he could grip it, the rope shot up and over the back of the stage, followed a second later by a loud splash.

"Who left that bucket of water there?" A drenched Cody inquired to the sound of laughter from the other campers.

For a single instant, one could see a look of annoyance on Justin's face, but it quickly vanished. Unfazed by the interruption, he proceeded to rip off his shirt and strike several more poses while mysterious, seemingly source-less music gently floated into the audience. With a final bow and swish of his hair, the model returned to his seat.

"Rarely have I been treated to such a lovely display. I give it a nine outa ten. It would have been a perfect 10 if you had done it drenched in water." Chef applauded

"You don't say." The model muttered while shooting a glare in Cody's direction.

"So, it's back to the Gophers. Can they possibly recover, or are we looking at the Bass' first win? Time to find out. Here to show off her ballet skills, welcome: Heather."

"Funny you should say that, Chris." The queen bee said as soon as she took her seat. "There has been a slight change in plan."

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "Considering we never really decided on a third person beyond a vague order to Trent after Courtney got knocked out, the chances of us winning this are highly unlikely no matter what I do. Might as well use this opportunity to deal with a thorn in my side."

* * *

"While I was planning on dancing, some rather disturbing details have come to light and I feel it would be a better use of this time to tell you." She whips out a small book and flips a couple pages. "It appears the CIT has some choice words to share."

Courtney seemed more confused than angry. Must have been her head. "What are you talking about, I don't keep a journal."

"You aren't getting out of it that easily." Heather cleared her throat poignantly before continuing. "Let's see what she has to say about...Bridgette." She tries to start but she appears unable to bring herself to. "This is painful to read, but it must be done." She breathes deeply then finally starts reading. "Bridgette sure is easy to fool. No matter how much I insult or deride her, she keeps coming back like some kind of deranged puppy that is a glutton for punishment. I will continue using her to get further in the game as long as she is of use then cast her aside."

"What?!" Bridgette exclaimed, to overcome by what she was hearing to say anything more.

"I deny writing that!" Courtney growled.

"I knew it." Trent whispered with astonishment

* * *

**Confessional**

Trent: "While this lines up with her actions, I would never have once thought she would write it down so brazenly."

* * *

"Don't try and worm your way out of this, Courtney." Heather hissed. "Moving on: Trent. I assumed Trent would be as easy to control as Bridgette, but he has rather quickly started to take a stand on my treatment of the surfer and has outlived his usefulness. It seems the best course of action will be to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"I never said that! Where are you getting this from?" Her denial of the second entry seemed slightly less resolute than the first.

"Even when the truth is revealed you cannot admit your guilt? Some CIT you are." Heather turned to face the rest of the team. "Shall I go on?"

"Yes, please do." Chris replied with an evil grin.

"Well, she did say something about everyone. Eva: Rageaholic with delusions of leadership skills because she is physically intimidating. Harold: A disgusting nerd who confuses dumb luck with mad skills. Cody: Thinks he is a ladies man but will never get any girl. I mean, just look at him. Owen: Fat tub of lard with an disturbingly cheery demeanor. I guess I can always use him as a bridge if necessary. Noah: Sarcastic bookworm with extreme overconfidence. Seeing the look on his face when he gets kicked off will be priceless. Gwen: Weird goth who thinks being counter culture makes her special. From what I've read, she seems to have quite the home life...if that is what it can be called. Duncan: Moronic, lustful Neanderthal who is certain all the girls will fall for him sooner or later. Heather: She thinks she is a better leader than me and she doesn't have any CIT leadership experience. Quite the B***h."

You could see the smoke coming out of Courtney's ears. "I never said or wrote ANY of that. You made it all up and then act all innocent in a bid to get the team to vote me off when we lose because you did not even try to do the challenge. Everybody here can see through you."

The team was not buying her explanation.

"I can prove it's a forgery!" She exclaimed in a frenzied tone. She ran up to the stage and snatched the book from Heather's hand.

"I suggest we get an impartial third person to look at it." The raven haired girl quipped. "Chris?"

"I'm not getting involved. You guys have to settle it. And can you face towards the cameras please? Makes for better shots." The host replied nonchalantly.

"Fine. Anyone here good at judging handwriting?"

The silence was palpable.

"Cody." Heather decided.

A bemused bookworm raised an eyebrow but did not respond.

"Cody? Why Cody? How is he impartial?" The CIT fumed.

"He has barely interacted with either of us. Can you think of anyone else we'd agree on? It's either him or Owen."

* * *

**Confessional**

Courtney: "Like I trust Owen to be able to tell if she forged this so called 'diary'."

* * *

Sighing in resignation, she shoved the book into the geek's hands and then gave him a to do list from her pocket. The boy was now the focus of attention of all the campers (and the camera) and started sweating visibly despite the relatively mild temperature.

"I don't have any experience with this kind of thing. Um..." He looked around frantically. "Why don't you do it Noah?"

"Why me?"

"Well...you are reading Sherlock Holmes right now so, I figured you know about this kind of thing."

"Your eagerness to pass the buck is amusing. I'll do it, but you owe me." Cody released a long sigh of relief as he gave the books to his friend.

* * *

**Confessional**

Cody: "Was it irresponsible of me to have Noah decide? Maybe. But the last thing I want would be to anger Bridgette by getting rid of her friend. I'm sure Noah will be fair." *His eyes widen* "But what if she gets mad because I threw away the chance to help?" *A moment of realization strikes* "I guess I'm not impartial." *He looks at the ceiling for a second before returning his gaze to the camera* "I hope he doesn't ask me to go dunk my head in water as payment..."

* * *

"How are you impartial?" Courtney glared at the bookworm. "We haven't exactly gotten along."

"I don't trust Noah." Heather added.

"Calm down, I dislike you both equally. And even so, I am a fair man." This remark earned him glares from the two girls and snickers from several of his teammates. "Let's see..."

He looked back and forth from the list Courtney had provided to the journal Heather had found. After what seemed like an eternity (though it couldn't have been more than half a minute), Heather spoke.

"So, there the same handwriting, right?"

"They certainly look the same, but I don't want to jump to conclusions."

"As fun as this is, we really should speed things up so the final two acts can go." Chris interjected.

"Uh, can't you just skip the footage ahead?"

"No. And if we don't move on in less than a minute, your team losses."

"Fine, but your being incredibly arbitrary, Chris." Noah growled, finally revealing some of the stress he was feeling. "I suppose..."

"It's fake, isn't it?" Courtney exclaimed.

"Not as far as I can see having looked at it for a minute."

"WHAT! You're agreeing with her?"

"Told you. You cannot escape your misdoings, miss perfect CIT." Heather jeered.

Courtney looked like she wanted to keep fighting, but with nobody on her side, she was for once too disheartened to reply.

"This will make for a fascinating campfire ceremony. Because that is where you are headed at this rate. But, I want to be fair to the other campers that prepared. Bass, who is your last performer?" Chris inquired.

The Bass had somehow managed to get their hands on several bowls of popcorn during the previous conflict and were enjoying watching the action unfold, secure in their win.

"Our third performer is Iz..." Justin started to say through a full mouth.

"Me!" Tyler interjected, much to the model's annoyance. "Come on man, we won already and I want to impress Lindsay." He added with a whisper.

"Fine, fine. Tyler is our final performer." He quickly changed his tone to his usual positive one and added "Good luck, man."

While the jock walked to the stage, Justin turned to Lindsay. "Hey, could you get a tin of hair gel from the cabin?"

"Um?" The blonde looked confused. But maybe she had looked like that before he asked. It can be hard to tell sometimes.

"Please." He added with a swish of his hair.

"OK." She squealed and ran off.

Tyler, meanwhile, was starting to twirl his yo-yo. He managed to swing it in several complex loops without tangling the sting.

"Woohoo! That's the first time I've actually finished that one."

His confidence increased, he pulled of a decent performance and received moderate applause from his team. The Gophers were still too busy glaring at each other (mostly Courtney) to notice what was going on.

"That was certainly...something, Tyler. Let's see what Chef has to say."

The camera pans to the table to find it empty.

"Looks like he has decided you weren't worth his time. Ouch, bro."

"Oh well, at least Lindsay saw me." The jock said with a smile. Said smile quickly vanished when the girl in question was nowhere to be seen. "Where is she?"

"Thee went back to the cabinth to get thome gell."

"Oh." The depressed jock took his seat, brooding on what had just happened.

"Wait, why did she do that?"

Chris' voice drowned out the question. "So Gophers, who do you have as your third person?"

An awkward silence fell over said team. It did not last long.

"I'll go." Trent volunteered. He grabbed his guitar and made his way onto the stage. "While some of us," he gave a poignant stare towards Courtney, "may put self-interest above the good of the team and try to undermine us, I will not."

"This one goes out to someone special here at camp." He said, looking right at a certain goth. He started strumming his guitar, a soft gentle tone that filled his listeners with a sense of calm.

_They may say we only have summer_

_But I say that's really a bummer_

_But we'll swim in the sun and have lots of fun_

_It will just be the two of us_

_Nothing to do but just hang_

_So let me say only this_

_Just stick around for one kiss_

As the final notes subsided, a round of applause came from the campers on both teams. Unseen by the others, Gwen had been smiling the whole time.

"Nice style, dude!" Chris congratulated. I would ask what Grand-master Chef thinks but since he left...

Before the host could continue, he was picked up and thrown aside by said co-host.

"I ain't gonna waste my time on talents not worth my judgement." He glared at Tyler who was slumped in defeat before turning towards Trent with a slight smile on his face. "You got quite some talent, kid. I give it a solid nine outa ten."

And, just as quickly as he appeared, the large man was gone again.

"He is getting another pay cut for that. How does he move so fast?" Chris moaned as he stood up. "Anyways, despite that awesome performance, Trent, the Gophers still lose, but you knew that was coming all along. See you all at the elimination ceremony in one hour!"

* * *

**Confessional**

Bridgette: "I really don't know what to think anymore. I want to believe that she is a good person deep down even if a little bossy." *She rubs the back of her neck* "But when her private thoughts contain such disdain." *Her expression becomes determined* "I'm going to find out the truth."

Courtney: "There's only one thing I regret..."

* * *

The challenge over, the campers dispersed, the Bass to celebrate their first victory, the Gophers to decide who would be the first to leave.

Courtney sat alone in a small clearing in the woods staring off into space with enough intensity to cause the trees to spontaneously combust. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Bridgette standing behind her. The surfer's expression was unusually stern, but far less accusing than the looks the CIT had been getting from the other Gophers.

"You came?" Courtney asked, her tone a mix of surprise, happiness, and, a smidgen of dread.

"So, I have to know..."

"No. How could you of all people doubt me?" The CIT's look of hurt was almost enough to bring the surfer to tears.

"Well...you haven't always been the nicest person on the team. It certainly sounds like something you would say." She took a seat on a stump.

Courtney narrowed her eyes and turned her baleful gaze towards the blonde. "So...that is it then. You have abandoned me too?"

"What? Abandoned? How am I abandoning you?"

"First Trent started to criticize me constantly, now you are as well. And before long, like that traitor, you won't even bother talking with me anymore."

"Courtney, we talked about it this morning. Trent hardly seems the type to constantly criticize." Bridgette replied after a short pause, clearly unsure of what to make of her friends outburst yet dreading retreading their earlier discussion. "And even if he did, I'm sure he only has your best interest at heart."

"So now you're just going to brush off my concerns?"

"No, but I want an answer. 'Diary' aside, what do you really think of our teammates."

"They're competition, nothing more. I size up their strengths to counter and weaknesses to exploit when necessary. I didn't come here to make friends."

"And what do you think of me?" She asked with eyebrow raised.

"You were a tool to be used to help get me further in the game. You and Trent are clearly the naturally popular, friendly towards everyone types. I figured you two would cover for me in the PR department so I could get further."

"Oh..." The blonde whispered to herself while the CIT continued.

"Things looked great when things started a week ago, but then Trent became a problem, constantly telling me that I was treating you poorly."

"You wanted to use me...?"

"Yes. It was a calculated decision." She admitted frankly though her voice was tinged with a hint of regret.

An awkward silence fell over the two. "But why are you telling me now?" Bridgette inquired, grasping for something positive.

"I..." The next words were said with some difficulty, "wanted to say I am sorry before I get voted off tonight. I shouldn't have treated someone like you so poorly."

"Someone like me?"

The brunette turned to face her friend. "If I had found a way to control Heather or Duncan, I would have no regrets." A single tear trickled down her cheek. "But not with you. I just don't have it in me to hurt you anymore." She paused for a moment, looking off into the distance. "Trent was right all along. I am not your friend. I never really was." She sighed deeply, a slight shudder the only hint of her well hidden emotions. "And I don't deserve to be." She got up and moved to leave.

The surfer hugged her legs and rocked back and forth slightly on the log, trying to process everything she had just heard. "Do you want to be friends?"

The CIT looked at her with confusion. "You really want to be friends after what I told you?"

"Nobody is perfect, Courtney. We all have our faults, but you were able to admit them. We all need a friend. What would it say about me if I turned my back on you now?" The surfer walked over and gave her friend a big hug that lasted through several minutes of peaceful silence.

"I believe you, by the way." She said with a smile, adding "about the 'diary'" when her friend looked confused.

The CIT's expression lightened noticeably. "Thanks for believing in me, Bridgette."

"I'm certain as soon as everyone hears that Heather forged that diary, they will quickly vote her off. Nobody wants someone like that on the team."

"We need to prove it's a fake and fast. The ceremony is in less than an hour." The brunette replied with renewed determination. "Where is it now?"

"Probably in the cabin."

"Hmm. On the one hand, she won't want it examined as that would reveal it's fake, but, if she gets rid of it, it proves her guilt. She must be counting on the speed of the upcoming elimination to prevent me finding out her secret." She stroked her chin. "We really don't have a chance of convincing anyone without it. As soon as I get it I can prove I'm innocent."

"Let's go."

* * *

**Confessional**

Bridgette: "It's a shame it took this for Courtney to open up to me. She looked really surprised that I still wanted to be her friend. I hope this isn't a first time thing for her."

Courtney: "Bridgette really is a good friend. I can't believe how willing I was to use someone as...good as her." *She glances back and forth as if expecting to see someone listening* "I don't know about the rest of the team though. It has been hard enough making one friend and there still is a game to win. Of course both Bridgette and I cannot win, but we have till the final two to worry about that."

* * *

At another part of the camp, Duncan sat sharpening a stick with his pocket knife. He looked up with raised eyebrows when he saw Heather approaching him.

"Hey gorgeous."

"What kind of game are you playing? I thought we had an alliance and you supported Courtney over me in the last challenge."

"Jealous?" He asked with a smirk.

"Jealous?! What kind of self-absorbed question is that? I don't see anything to be jealous of."

"Keep your panties on. Did you think that if we are always playing buddy-buddy it might arouse suspicion? It's far better if the rest of the team thinks I'm mercenary."

"And you didn't tell me this beforehand because...?"

"I wanted to make sure your reaction was sincere."

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "Should I be pleased that he is thinking for the good of the 'alliance' or worried that he is thinking for the good of the 'alliance'?" *She taps her chin* "I guess I might as well run with it as long as he doesn't try anything...funny."

Duncan: "Does she really think I'm going to act like a mindless minion? It's equal partners or nothing."

* * *

"Hmmph. Don't do anything like that again without telling me first, ok? I can be a very convincing actress."

"Like the goody two-shoes act you put on earlier. I doubt anyone was fooled." He picked at his teeth with his pocket knife. "And stop ordering me around like a toddler or I'm out."

The queen bee looked ready to explode.

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "If there were ANYONE else on the team I thought I could ally with I would abandon this punk in a heartbeat, but I have to keep my eye on the prize."

* * *

"Fine, I'll stop." She exclaimed with exasperation.

"Just like that? To easy."

"I promise I won't order you around like a toddler."

"I've used the specific definition excuse myself to many times to be fooled by that one." The punk chuckled.

"What should I say then?"

"Equal partners. Final offer." He stuck out his hand expectantly.

"Do I have to touch your hand?" Heather asked in disgust.

"Yes." He stared straight into her eyes.

"Very well." Having made her choice, she shook his hand, matching his stare with a steel one of her own.

"So what is the first step, Heather?"

"Make sure the b****y CIT goes home."

"That looks fairly certain without any more help from us. Then what?"

"I say take it as it comes. But I do have a thing for some blackmail."

"Sounds like fun." He looks around for a second before continuing.

"So, did Courtney really write that 'diary'?"

"You think she didn't? Everything she wrote sounds just like her."

"Yeah. But if you had a place where you wrote down your opinions of others, would you leave it lying out?"

"I guess a delinquent like you would know all about hiding things." She jeered.

"You wound me, you really do." The punk mocked. With the reflexes born of practice, he quickly looked around again and gave a long glance at some bushes.

"Your groveling is pathetic! I won't do anything you say, hag!" He quickly stood up and stormed off in a huff.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Trent sat alone a little ways from camp (Yeah a lot of things happen in that setting, get over it), gently strumming the chords to the song he had performed earlier. His face alternating between contortion from rage and a blank, placid expression (or lack thereof). He heard footsteps approaching.

"Oh, hello...Trent, I'm not disturbing you am I? I was just going out for a walk to enjoy the sunset."

"No, Justin, you're not interrupting anything."

"I'm sorry about all that happened for your team today, even if it did mean the Bass won for once. Nobody likes a rotten apple."

"You can say that again." Trent's voice had a noticeably venomous tone.

"Not to intrude, but has she done something to you personally?" The model inquired, an innocent look on his face.

"No. Someone else."

"Ah. It is easy to feel worse about hurts to friends than hurts to ourselves."

The musician nodded his head in agreement.

"At least you found out now when we are only a little over a week into the competition. Imagine if this hadn't some to light till the end of the competition."

"What she wrote is the final straw. The team has finally seen her for who she is." He spoke to nobody in particular instead letting his statement drift off towards camp,

"All I can say is I hope there is nobody else on your team as heartless as she is. And if there are you can get rid of them quickly."

"I'm surprised you care this much about what happens on our team."

The model looked wounded. "I'm just another human being who hates to see others hurt through inaction." His work done, the model strode off down the beach.

Trent had stopped playing his instrument and stared blankly out over the lake for several minutes. Finally he got up and headed back towards the Gopher cabin.

Along the way, he ran into the person he was most concerned about at the moment.

"Hey, Trent!" She called out, running over to his side.

"Hi, Bridgette. Must have been hard to hear what Courtney really thinks of you like that. You ok?"

"What? Oh I'm fine. And she assured me that she did not write the journal."

"Of course she would say that."

"Don't be so hard on her, I think she has finally turned the corner. She even admitted that you were right about how she was treating me. Now we just need to find the journal and prove once and for all that it is a fake."

"Turned the corner, you say? I take it she has only talked to you about this?"

"Yes. I'm going to find the others and tell them to gather at the campfire early while Courtney gets the book. Then we can show everyone she is innocent in time to vote out Heather. Your help would be appreciated."

Trent paused for a second, mulling over what his friend had said. "I guess I will help tell everyone the truth if you're so certain. I hope I know what you're doing."

"How do you want to split it?"

"We might as well both talk to everyone to reinforce our point."

"Great, I'm sure Court will appreciate your help." Bridgette took off again towards the cabins, searching for anyone nearby to listen.

The musician gazed after her till she was out of sight.

* * *

**Confessional**

Bridgette: "While Courtney may not think much of most of the team, I'm sure she will see that Trent really is her friend too after this is over."

Trent: *He is leaning against the left wall, gazing towards the opposite wall* "Poor deceived Bridgette, taken in by the desperate plots of the CIT as she struggles to stay afloat. People don't change overnight. I will not allow this to continue." *He slams a fist into his other hand. He then twitches slightly and leans against the right wall* "But what if Bridgette is right and Courtney has changed? What if she has decided to treat Bridgette like a friend? Maybe Heather did forge the diary and will be kicked out instead?" *He sits silently for several seconds, his eye twitching sporadically before he finally walks out of the confessional*

* * *

Courtney stood just out of sight from the cabins, her dark eyes scanning the area. She had seen Heather arguing with that pig Duncan a minute ago, so she judged that now was the time to make her move. She looked around the corner and saw the door to the boys' side of the cabin swinging back and forth, but otherwise the coast was clear. The CIT quickly made her way into the room which, to her relief, was also empty. She began her search in a speedy, yet methodical manner, sifting through Heather's things, careful not to miss her target.

She found it easily enough. Too easily. She brushed aside the growing sense of dread and hastily left the way she had come.

* * *

**Confessional**

Courtney: "Heather is many things, but stupid is not one of them. Why would she leave the forgery on her bed where I could easily find it? She has to know I can prove it's fake. Oh well, never look a gift horse in the mouth!" *She flips through a couple pages, a worried expression slowly spreading across her face*

* * *

The Gophers had gathered near the campfire pit ten minutes before the allotted time, most of them looking dead bored. They all turned when they heard footsteps rapidly approaching.

"I can prove Heather forged this!" A certain CIT announced.

"As if!" The queen bee countered.

"A little late, aren't we Courtney?" A newly arrived Chris interjected.

"It's never too late!" She countered, a look of determination in her eye.

"To change any votes it is. Everyone accept you and Bridgette voted almost immediately after the talent contest ended."

"What? You guys didn't even want to know if it was a fake?" She got no reply from her team. With a shout of despair, she chucked the book away.

"Ow." Noah drawled. Even in pain his tone remained constant.

"You deserved that." Courtney muttered under her breath.

"I always love last minute drama! And since everyone is here already, let's get started."

"Aren't you going to light the fire?" Cody asked.

"I'm a pro when it comes to lighting fires. Anyone got some tinder?"

"Step aside, dweeb. I got this." Duncan declared as he pulled out his lighter.

Chris just rolled his eyes and pulled out a small remote. Upon pressing a large red button with a flame on it, the dark bonfire sprang to life.

"Preserving the authentic camp atmosphere, Chris?" Gwen quipped. The host did not appear to have heard her.

A moment later, the campers were seated around the campfire staring anxiously (some more than others) at Chris, the fateful plate of marshmallows balanced in hand.

"So, you guys finally lost a challenge. I was worried this show would be a once sided snooze-fest till the merge. But not only did you lose, you managed to create quite some drama. Good job guys!"

"All for the good of the team." Heather said with a cheerful smile.

"Whatever, it was good stuff. But now to the moment you've all been waiting for. The following campers received no votes: Noah, Gwen, Harold, Bridgette, Trent, Cody, Owen, Duncan, Eva."

With sighs of relief the competitors retrieved their sugary goodies one my one as they were called. Heather did not look overly concerned with the outcome. Courtney was just shooting death glares at the rest of the team.

"That means, with eight votes to three, the final marshmallow goes to..."

...

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...

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...

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...

...

...

...

...

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"Heather."

"Yes! Eat it Courtney!" The queen bee exclaimed as she bounded up to get the last marshmallow.

Trent's face (along with those of the other Gophers) was completely devoid of emotion.

"Bye Court." Bridgette cried, running up to give her friend a hug. "I wish we could have convinced everyone to let you stay."

"I'm sure you did your best." The CIT said with a smile. "I wish you luck in this twisted game." She then glared at the rest of the team. "These...people," she spat, "chose to believe a lie over the truth. They will get what they deserve. I will enjoy watching them leave one by one in defeat. Some more than others." She gave one final glare at Heather and, summoning what dignity she had left, strode down the dock onto the waiting boat.

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "Score one for me!"

Duncan: "Of course I'm voting for princess. Heather asked so nicely and I don't want to throw the alliance out the window. But did you see her face when I supported Courtney to lead the team last time?" *He snickers loudly* "It's like she thinks an alliance works best when everyone knows about it. Puh-lease"

Trent: "She may not see it now, but in the long run, Bridgette will realize this was for the best. Courtney was just using her."

Noah: "That's one less screeching harpy."

Bridgette: *sniff* "I know I'm getting awfully worked up over someone I have known for only a week. Yes, she was not the best friend, sure, she was dismissive and hurtful to the team as a whole, but I knew there was more to her, and I was right. It's just a shame the team never gave her a chance. I hope it doesn't undo the good I managed to accomplish."

Cody: "I hope Bridgette isn't to hurt, she and Courtney hung out a lot. On the bright side, maybe now we can get to know each other better without Court monopolizing her time." *He wiggles his eyebrows* "Not that I have abandoned my pursuit of Gwen mind you. I took Noah's advice and waited a while to let her cool off after out last encounter. Next challenge, she better be prepared to hang with the Codemeister!"

Gwen: "One less bossy person. Heather is going to be impossible to live with now." *She groans and lets her head fall into her hands*

* * *

A little while later, back at the otherwise empty Gopher cabin, Bridgette was neatly packing her departed friends clothes. An annoyed Chef stood in the doorway, arms crossed and shoe loudly tapping on the floor.

"Are ya done yet, I got ta take this stuff...elsewhere. And I don't want to be up all night waitin."

"I won't be much longer. I just want to do one last thing for her."

"Fine. Fine. Just take it down to the dock when you're done. And it better be soon."

A moment after the large man left, Eva walked into the room, looking anxiously back and forth. When she saw the surfer, she quickly put her regular stoic face back on.

"Don't know why you're wasting tears on her. She had no respect for anyone."

"Because I look for the best in people. That's why. I don't want to give up on anyone. And she was actually starting to see how badly she had treated others right before everyone voted her off."

"Whatever." The athlete looked at the CIT's area and noticed almost everything was packed. "Got everything?"

"Yeah. I need to take it all to the dock." She started to lift the bag but found it was far heavier than it appeared. "Man this is heavy. Courtney must be stronger than I thought to carry this."

"Let me do it." Eva offered.

"That's awfully nice of you. I don't want to hold Chef up any longer."

The muscular teen was about to leave but paused for a moment. "They say that you can tell the quality of someone from their friends. Miss snotty CIT might have something positive in her after all."

Without another word, the jock was out the door, bags in tow. She headed for the dock but as soon as she was sure nobody was looking, she angled off into the darkness behind the communal bathroom. She pulled out a dim flashlight and started rummaging through the duffle, making quite a mess in the process. She quickly found what she was looking for, one of the to do lists Courtney had used. She pocketed the book and replaced it with a small piece of paper. Then, after cursing at the mess she had made, she stuffed the contents back into the bag as quickly as possible.

After once again seeing that nobody was looking she ran down to the dock and deposited the bags on the Boat of Losers which promptly sped off into the darkness.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

*Credits Role*

Courtney is sitting alone in what looks like a hotel room later that evening, silently sobbing and letting out an occasional curse. Someone knocks on the door and when she finally opens it, we see Chef standing in front of her, the CIT's luggage in hand. He puts her things down and leaves without a word.

"This is the last time I let Chef pack anything! Did he try to fold anything?!"

She starts unpacking her things when something catches her eye. She pulls a slip of paper from the corner of the bag.

_You have a second friend._

_P.S. You may want to start searching the loser's luggage._

"That's nice and cryptic. I do not plan on searching through the luggage of the losers that get sent here." She said out loud, tapping her chin. "Justin is the only person besides Bridgette who has been remotely nice recently. Even if his motives were suspect." With a loud growl, she crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into the bin. "Whatever. Some help this other friend was." She calmed down after a moment. "I wonder who the third person to vote for Heather was. Are they the same person as this 'friend'? I suppose I'll find out sooner or later when they...lose...as well." As the screen fades to black, we hear one final sob escape her lips.

* * *

**End Notes**

* * *

If there is one thing I am aiming for (besides a good, memorable story) it would be a realistic story. I hate how certain characters in the show are real karma houdinis. Heather in the first season is probably the worst offender. How many times was she saved by the blatant hand of the writers when she should have gotten the boot? This is one of the reasons I hate blatantly antagonistic characters which is part of why writing Courtney can be so tricky.

In this case, while it would have been fun to write more about everyone's favorite CIT's constant disputes with others, I decided to go with what made sense as I have been developing the characters. Everything may not be perfectly clear now, but hopefully as the plot develops it will make sense. She is being deposited on the back burner. With all the tension in the team, how would someone important NOT go? Heather may have one this one...will things get easier in the future?

Hopefully this provides insight into why this challenge took so long to write. Sure I had other things going on as well, but ultimately it came down to wanting to make sure everything happens just right. As you have probably guessed, the events of this challenge will have long reaching ramifications for pretty much every major character. Hopefully this means the next chapter will be quicker and easier to write especially with the hardest (if rewarding) character for me to write gone.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It could be a while before the next one. It might not. Either way, I'm sure you all will enjoy it when it is finished. As for the timing, I promise...never to make a timing promise again. It always bites me in the end.

Till next time. God Bless.


	9. Chapter 9: Campception - Part 1

_**Disclaimer**_: .. / -.. - / -. - - / - .- -. / - ... . / -.-. ... .- .-. .- -.-. - . .-. ... / - .-. / ... . - - .. -. -. / - ..-. / - - - .- .-.. / -.. .-. .- - .- .-.-.- / ... .- -.. .. . / .. ... / -. - .. -. -. / ... - - . .-.-.- (Spoiler Alert)

_**Author Notes**_: Thanks as always dudes and dudettes for them reviews. I have been most entertained by your guesses as to the purpose of Eva's note. You'll all find out the truth soon enough.

Sorry for the horrendous delay in getting this challenge published. The last bit of last semester was rough and all consuming, and I have been on vacation for much of break. That said, I really am close to finished with the second half of the challenge, but I figured I would go ahead and send this out now so you can have something while I finish the rest. When you read through the whole challenge, my long delay and deliberation should make more sense.

Shout out to **Total Drama Is Awesome** who has started a TvTropes page on this story. We have only just begun this journey and already I have a fancy-shmancy page, even if it is a little bare. Hopefully you all will have fun unraveling all I plan to/have thrown in. *Cough* Gambit Pileup *Cough* I look forward to seeing it develop and I might put in a thought or two of my own down the line.

Enough mushy drivel. On with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Campception - Part 1**

* * *

Chris strides onto the dock, looking slightly more comfortable than last episode.

"Last time on Total Drama Island!" As he talks photos flash across the screen. "I decided to let the campers show of their talents to the world. On purpose for once. There was quite the array of talent ranging from the musical," *Trent playing his guitar* "to beautiful," *Justin posing shirtless* "to stuff right out of ancient history." *Ezekiel's archery* "But by far the most entertaining events were not the actual talents, but the drama that was stirred up when Heather found a journal of Courtney's bad mouthing everyone else on the team. Ouch." *CIT desperately clutching the journal and looking around frantically* "In the end, despite attempting to convince the other's that Heather had faked it, Courtney was the first Gopher to get kicked off the Island." *She is walking down the dock* "At least both her and Bridgette managed to finally form a real bond when Courtney privately apologized for using her to get further in the game. So sweet!" *The two girls hugging* And as a final twist, Eva of all people sent a note to Courtney...I have no idea what that was about either, but I'm sure the truth will be revealed sooner or later.

The screen shift back to Chris. "And now the time has come for the next challenge that will actually test the skills of the campers. Will the Gophers continue to lose, or will the Bass' winning streak be one challenge long? Find out right here, right now on another nail biting episode of Total! Drama! Island!"

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

***Cue theme***

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The sun had risen several hours ago, but the campers were enjoying the extra sleep. For some reason Chris had not awaken them at the usual disgustingly early challenge time...

* * *

**Flashback**

It was pitch black except for the slightest hint of light peeping over the horizon. Two shadowy figures creep towards a large bungalow.

"I don't know if this is the best idea..." One said.

"Oh come on, it will be fun." The other shout-whispered.

"But this isn't right, eh."

"I think everyone else will disagree with you on that."

They circled around the house and finally found an unlatched window.

"Bingo!" The second speaker said.

The two crawled into the abode, unseen by any save the camera. The scene shifts to a large, well-furnished bedroom. Or at least it looks like it is. It's hard to see in the dark. A king sized bed occupied the center, a single figure occupied it, his already short stature dwarfed by his resting place. The two figures enter through the door and creep to the side of the bed where a small alarm clock rests. One of the figures grabs it and makes some adjustments before quickly replacing it. The two figures let out a relieved sigh followed by a snicker before leaving the way they had come.

Unbeknownst to them, someone had seen them. But, for reasons unknown, Chef saw no need to do anything about the intruders.

* * *

Meanwhile, not all were asleep in the Gopher cabin. Cody's internal clock usually was quick to adjust to changes, so despite the delay in today's wake up siren, he was already stirring. He turned on his side to see Noah was also awake. The bookworm had propped himself up slightly against the wall behind his bed and had three books in front of him, one of which looked burnt. Cody could not see for certain what they were.

"Good morning Cody!"

"How'd you know I was awake?" The geek inquired sleepily.

"When you always share a room with no fewer than three people you get a good idea when someone is awake."

"Oh...is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It just is."

"Right..." Cody yawned. He noticed his friend was counting down fingers. "What is that for?"

"Our wake up call."

"You don't mean..."

As if one cue, loud voices drifted through the wall.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

"Why are your things over here?!"

"I don't know, genius. Maybe I dropped them over there?"

"Why?! None of your stuff should be within ten feet of my bed."

"You have noticed the room is less than 10 feet wide, right?"

"And Gwen is bunking right under you, Heather."

"Shut up Bridgette!"

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

"Hasn't Eva usually thrown Heather through the screen door by now?" Trent yawned while rubbing a crick in his neck.

"She must be absent. I still don't get it, I was sure things would calm down after Courtney left." Harold wearily adjusted his glasses.

"Owen!" groaned a prone, mohawked form desperately trying to sleep. "Plan B, hit the snooze please."

No response came from the large teen. Well, no verbal response. He was, however, happily snoring away on his bunk.

"I hate being woken up early as much as anyone, but that isn't called for." The musician noted.

"There are too many variables involved!" The red headed nerd added, flipping through a small notebook.

"Isn't it a bit extreme?" Cody rubbed his hands nervously.

"You do know I only suggested that as a joke, right?" Noah queried with a raised eyebrow.

"Pansies." Duncan shrugged them off, his annoyance at being woken up by the screeching women next door overriding all other concerns. He got jumped out of bed and landed next to Owen's. "Oh no you don't, chubby! There is a reason we let you sleep in here and it isn't because of your charming personality! Someone going to give me a hand?"

The other boys did not seem keen on obliging.

"Dork face! Get over here and help me."

Harold didn't look keen on following the order though the conviction was missing from his voice. "Why would I help you, Duncan?"

"Do you want to wake up taped to the dining hall ceiling again?"

Whether because of their all too recent wake up call or for some other reason, none of the other boys said anything. Harold sighed. "Fine..."

With herculean effort the two rolled the large blonde towards the door and positioned his backside in front of the girls' door. Duncan gave him a good hard kick but nothing happened.

"Damn, that usually works!"

"Just stop it." Trent pleaded. The punk ignored him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Harold reluctantly held high a small can of beans.

"Don't test me. I saw you hiding them." Duncan sneered. He quickly took the can of beans from the red head's hands and held them up to Owen's nose.

"Mmm, beans..." The barely conscious teen muttered.

"Everybody hit the dirt!" Duncan instructed. All the boys quickly followed suit.

A second later a large cloud of green gas issued forth from Owen's posterior and quickly disappeared into the girls' side. The girls had been unaware of their approaching doom up till now, but that quickly changed.

"What...is...that...smell." Heather observed, sniffing the air.

"Sure that isn't you?" Gwen snickered.

"Shut it Weird Goth Girl!"

"It's coming from the door." Bridgette observed. Said door could barely be seen through an approaching wall of green gas.

"This is the last time you wake us up with your b***hing!" Came Duncan's voice through the smog.

Gwen looked worried for a moment before pulling out a small doctor's face mask. "I wondered why someone left this here." She turned and saw that Bridgette also had one while a certain queen bee did not. "Sucks to be you, Heather!" She cackled before putting the mask on and running out the door.

The surfer was about to put hers on before Heather snatched it from her hands and darted to safety. Her derisive insult blocked absorbed by the gas like the walls of a sound studio.

"Great..." Bridgette moaned. She took a deep breath and ran through the door after her teammates. She got through a second later, eyes watering and panting for air, but otherwise unscathed. And glad she was so used to holding her breath while swimming.

"You guys are disgusting." The queen bee wretched.

"You should have seen the looks on your faces!" Duncan crowed, doubled over in laughter.

"I'm pretty sure that violates the Geneva Convention." Gwen commented. She noticed what Heather had done. "Why am I not surprised you swiped her mask?"

"Well I didn't get one, what was I supposed to do?"

"Good morning ladies, you're both looking lovely this morning!" Cody exclaimed while putting an arm around Bridgette's and Gwen's necks.

"Good..morning..Cody." Bridgette managed to say between coughs.

"Hi." Gwen deadpanned.

"Such a lovely morning, isn't it?"

"It would have been if Bridgette didn't get gassed out of the cabin like a common pest. I hope you weren't part of this mad scheme." She firmly poked the geek's chest, causing him to stumble a couple feet backwards.

Cody, like most of the Gopher boys, was glaring at Duncan though still looking slightly guilty themselves.

"I'm fine, Gwen, really." The surfer interjected, trying to avoid another argument.

"You brought it on yourselves. If you threw Heather out the door like Eva has the past couple days then we would not have resorted to plan B." Duncan commented.

"Shifting the blame onto us when we are the ones who have to live with her? Classy."

"Just let it go, guys." Bridgette pleaded.

"You guys could really use a shower." Harold added while holding his nose.

"I wonder why!" Gwen snarled. She sniffed her pj shirt. "Oh god, will this smell ever come out?"

"Why would that matter? We have, like, 10 identical outfits that they gave us when we got here." Cody observed.

"Yeah, and they're all in there."

"Ummm..." Cody searched for a comeback.

_Chemical Weapon Detected. Quarantine in Progress._ A synthesized female voice played over the speakers. _All campers are advised to remain calm until the mess is cleaned._

Large metal doors rose out of the ground to completely seal off the girls side.

"Now we cannot even get in there!" Heather fumed.

Suddenly a small helicopter flew overhead and a large man in a bio-hazard suit climbed down a hanging rope later to the cabin's roof. He opened a trap door and descended in.

Man down! Man down! Backup required. Buzzed the radio a second later.

Another man in a suit climbed down the ladder. Instead of trying to enter, he pulled out a large vacuum to suck the toxic air out.

Meanwhile the Gophers could only look on helplessly. They were shortly joined by an annoyed Chris riding a small off road vehicle.

"Wow, this is much better than what I had planned. Now you'll all be begging me to go on this challenge." His walky-talky buzzed. "Yeah? Really? Well, I guess we will just have to seal it off, burn the clothes and try to retrieve whatever personal items you can. Good? Chris out." He altered the channel it was tuned to. "Chef, I need you to bring the backup clothes for the Gopher girls pronto."

"What did you say?" Heather's eye was twitching uncontrollably.

"It looks like your side of the cabin is a total loss, oh well."

"Oh well?!"

"Get dressed in the clothes Chef will provide momentarily and meet up with the other campers in front of the dining hall."

"Jerks." Gwen muttered.

The boys were left standing alone a moment later.

"I cannot believe we stood there and let you do that, Duncan." Trent growled. "Bridgette was stuck without a mask and had to walk through that."

"Why were there masks anyways?" The punk glared at those around him. "Kind of defeats the purpose of gassing them."

"Maybe some of us didn't want Bridgette or Gwen affected?" Harold glared.

"I see..." Duncan shot a side long glare at the nerd.

"I will not take such brazen apathy towards the Lady Bridgette so!" Harold interjected, pushing Trent aside. He pulled out a glove and threw it at the mohawked man's feet. "It is my duty to challenge a vile foe like you a duel."

The punk looked at the glove, then up at the nerd. "You're kidding, right."

"I do not 'kid' when it comes to matters of honor!"

"Have it your way, Doris. Nice of you to grow a pair _after_ helping me." The punk settled back into a fighting stance while Harold did the same.

"Seeing as you two have both thrown sense to the wind, it falls to me to point out that you should save it till after the challenge." Noah drawled.

The two continued to glare at each other while the boys returned to the room to dress.

* * *

**Confessional**

Duncan: "I don't know what the other guys' problem is. So what if Malibu and Pasty were in the way? It was still funny."

Trent: *His eye twitches slightly*

Owen: "Nobody even told me about this plan. I was asleep the whole time. I hope nobody gets to mad at me about this..."

Heather: "I...Hate...Owen...so much right now! His toxic farts destroyed all my things! I will make sure he is the next one to leave."

* * *

Late that afternoon, the two teams sat around the Campfire pit.

"Finished cleaning out our room yet, Chris?" Heather asked, eyes narrowed to slits.

"Nope. Now, on to today's challenge. Which is also tonight's challenge. And tomorrow's challenge."

"Thith ithn't another awakathon challenge ith it?"

"No. Your challenge is simple: survive a night out in the woods. Each team will receive a map and a compass directing them to their campsite. At this campsite you will find all the food and other supplies you will need for the evening. If you can't find it, than to bad, you stuck wherever you can find shelter. The first team that comes back in the morning will win immunity. The losers will be sending someone home."

Noah had a sinister grin on his face. Justin did as well.

"So there isn't anything specific we have to get from the campsites?" The model asked.

"Nope. They just offer you the best chance of survival. Otherwise you might end up in the hospital with a couple of our interns." He gave Justin and Heather the maps and compasses. "And...go!"

The two teams took off, heading in opposite directions. As soon as they were just out of sight of the camp, Justin signaled the Bass to stop.

"Ith thomthing wrong?"

"Chris said going to the campsite was optional, right?"

"Yeah, but it hath all the thupplieth."

"But what actually gives us the win?"

"Getting back first." Katie remarked.

"Exactly! I see no reason to go any further away from camp."

"But we won't have anything to eat!" Lindsay cried.

"Then three of us can go get the food and bring it back here."

* * *

**Confessional**

Justin: *He grins at his hand held mirror."

* * *

"So who wants to go?" He continued.

"Are you sure this isn't cheating?" Ezekiel asked. "Shouldn't we ask Chris if this counts?"

"If we don't ask, he will have no choice but to give us the win based on how he laid out the rules. Katie, Sadie, you two were so helpful before with retrieving the herb for me before, why don't you go. Who wants to go with them?"

"I gueth I could do it."

"Aw, Izzy wanted to go!"

"But aren't you Izzy, Izzy?" A very confused Lindsay asked.

"Thanks for volunteering Beth, the rest of us will stay here and set up camp."

While the rest of the team settled in as the three girls departed, Justin pulled the prairie boy and crazy redhead aside.

"So, have you made up your minds?"

"Yeah, we decided to take you up on your offer, eh. Seems the best chance of getting further in the game."

"Goooood." Justin tapped his fingers against each other but quickly snapped out of it. "Now, how good are you at tracking?"

"I've had a lot of practice hunting, I can track a small animal for miles." He thumped his chest in pride. "Why?"

"I need you to make sure the Gophers did try to get to their campsite. You don't need to follow them all the way, just make sure they are far enough away that they cannot possibly get back faster than us in the morning."

"Ok." Without looking back the toque wearing teen vanished into the underbrush.

"It's a good thing he likes to wear green." Justin muttered before turning to the green clad girl. "Izzy, let's help the others build some shelter. Hopefully we won't need it but you can't be too careful."

"Oh, once I had to build a house out of nothing but dirt! It wasn't too hard actually, I only needed a shovel, but I did have to wrestle quite a few ants to get it."

"How interesting." He drawled. "You can cut the act."

"Act? What act? Izzy doesn't act silly boy."

The model gave her an odd stare. "Have it your way."

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The Gophers, meanwhile, had just gotten outside of the campground when Noah gave an exaggerated yawn and sat on a convenient rock.

"That's enough walking for one day." He announced.

"What are you talking about? Get your lazy ass in gear and keep moving. We have to find the campsite." Heather ordered.

"Do we?"

"Of course! What a stupid question."

"I don't recall Chris saying we had to find the campsite. He just said we had to spend a night in the woods and there were supplies there. I don't see a reason to go any further."

"But..." The queen bee trailed off.

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "That is not a bad idea. We stay here, nobody could possibly get lost, and we will beat the other team back by miles!" *A dark look crosses her face as she crosses her arms* "I must make sure I remain in control of the team."

Noah: "It's not laziness, it's efficiency." *He stares directly at the camera* "I don't care what you guys think." *He then smirks knowingly at the camera*

* * *

"I agree with my little buddy, this has been a long trip." Owen panted.

"Dude, it's been less than ten minutes." Cody commented.

"Oh."

"Fine." Heather decided. "I say three of us go try and find the camp and bring what supplies we can back here. Any objections to bending the rules, Bridgette?"

The surfer's attention was focused off into the woods. "No, no, that's fine. We don't need to go any farther."

"I'll take that as a no. Eva and...Duncan." She turned to the two teammates in question. "Alright pack mules...I mean, friends, let's go find those supplies."

"I hate you." Duncan snarled.

Eva looked at her watch. "I say we got no more than three or four hours to find the camp and get back before it gets dark. We should hurry."

"First, why doesn't Bridgette and..." She looked at Cody with a sinister smirk for a brief moment. "Harold. Make sure the Bass are long gone from camp. We don't want any surprises tomorrow."

"Let's move already!" Eva grumbled.

"Isn't someone anxious; what's eating you?" The two girls walked off in no particular direction, neither interested in including the punk in their conversation.

"Great." Duncan moaned. "I have to put up with at least three hours of that?" With a final sigh he took off after the others.

"That's karma for you." Trent muttered.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

As soon as they were out of earshot, Heather stopped Eva.

"I saw you messing with Courtney's bags when you selflessly volunteered to take them down to the docks. Why?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"I want to make sure you aren't trying to contact her or anything."

"...No." The jockette replied after a moment's pause. "If you must know, I thought I'd mess her things up as a final thank you for all the times her bickering woke me up."

"I see. And why did you do that?"

"I don't like her? Is that not a good enough reason?"

"That doesn't sound sporting."

"Sporting? Your one to talk."

Heather glared at her in silence.

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "That seems a bit petty by Eva's standard. This is the girl who tore a door of its hinges when she thought someone took her mp3 player. But who am I to complain if she causes Courtney trouble?" *She taps her chin* "But I know for certain she kept something from it..."

Eva: "That is the last time I play errand boy for whoever this mysterious note writer is. He or she somehow helped at least normalize relations with the team in the third challenge and now I have done what they asked in return. I clean my hands of this. I came here to play an out in the open competition, not scurry around at night sending other people's notes."

* * *

"Do you even know where you're going?" Eva asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I do!"

"You haven't looked at the map yet."

"Yes I did! I also have a good sense of direction." *smack*

"I take it you meant to walk into the tree?"

"Shut up!"

"Women and directions." Duncan sneered, having caught up in time to hear the exchange.

"Shut it, punk! What took you so long?"

"Just publicly complaining about getting stuck with you two."

"You're impossible."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Duncan replied nonchalantly.

"If you two are done bickering it's time to move on." The pair saw the rage slowly building up behind the jockette's eyes and quickly followed.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Back at camp, the Gophers let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally she's gone." Gwen moaned while letting her head fall into her lap. "I thought things would be better after we got rid of the bossy one last time."

"Nope." Noah drawled. "I'll bet Heather has been itching for the chance to fill miss CIT's shoes."

"Then we might as well enjoy the time without her or her punk lackey while we can." Trent advised. "Sorry again about this morning, Bridgette. I'll make sure Duncan doesn't try it again."

"Duncan can be a real jerk." Harold agreed. He then turned to Bridgette. "You ready to go scout out the Bass?"

The surfer didn't respond for over half a minute. When she finally did her voice was barely more than a whisper. "I'm ready."

"Are you ok, Bridge?" Cody bounded over to his friend, a look of concern on his face.

"It's nothing guys. Let's just go."

"Want me to come along?"

"I think the two of us have this one, Cody." Harold informed his teammate with a glare.

"No, please." There was a hint of desperation in her voice. "I would like it if you both came."

Neither of them heard her, so absorbed were they in their stare off.

"You think I've forgotten how you are after two girls. After the gassing this morning, you clearly were making a play on both, hardly the gentlemanly thing to do. Why should you try to win the fair Bridgette's heart only to break it when you inevitably chase someone else to satisfy your image?" He muttered low enough that only Cody could hear. "Or are you still interested in Gwen? She must wonder on some level why you suddenly lost interest in her even if she never appreciated it in the first place."

"I would never hurt Bridgette. Why do you care so much?"

"I care because she is the only person here who cares enough to stand up for me when jerks like Duncan push me around. I don't want to see her hurt. I am too much of a gentleman to let you carry on."

While they continued to quietly bicker, Trent sighed in resignation and walked over to his blonde teammate. "I don't know what has gotten into them, but I say we go head out before it gets any later."

"I don't want to leave them fighting."

"Maybe they will get over it faster when we're gone."

The two walked off into the woods to check on the Bass' location. It took several minutes for the two boys to notice. They sat down at opposite ends of the camp, fuming at the impudence of the other.

Noah and Owen grinned at each other.

"Do I sense fireworks?"

"Think our little buddy will pick a fight?"

"That seems highly unlikely, big boy. He will probably just stare at Harold ineffectively and then complain to us later about not getting a chance with Bridgette."

"That seems a little harsh, dude."

"I want him to succeed, but he is either to painfully forward with Gwen, who clearly isn't in to him, before ignoring her completely or he is dancing his way around Bridgette with the care of a man in a minefield. I'm guessing it's cause she is the first girl to give him the time of day. He needs to decide what he wants."

"He has been hanging with Bridgette a lot more than Gwen."

"True. Yet it's clear to me he still harbors a crush of sorts on our resident goth. You'd think he feels inadequate without being able to claim he is pursuing two girls."

"Quite the sly dog, isn't he?"

"Haven't you heard the saying: If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both?"

"Yeah." Owen admitted sheepishly. So what do you suggest he do?"

"Make a choice and stick with it."

"Who would you go for if you were him?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I didn't come here to get laid, Owen."

"Then why did you come?"

Noah did not answer. The larger boy decided to backtrack.

"You've got to think at least one of the girls here is hot."

"I never said none of them were hot. I said it wasn't my focus."

"Oh."

"Since you're so clearly fixated on the separate love lives of Cody and myself, you answer your own question. Who do you like?"

"Um...well...nobody..."

"Owen, that is without question the worst poker face I have ever seen."

"Well, there is that one girl on the other team...the one with the deep green eyes and orange hair."

"You like the resident psychotic? The one who's been hanging with the home-schooled boy since the moment she got here?"

"Yeah...you don't think I have a chance?"

"I suppose anything is possible, but you're setting yourself up for disappointment dude. Even if she likes you back, she is..."

"Hey," The now agitated larger teen interrupted. "Don't say she is crazy! I bet she just likes having fun or something."

The bookworm raised his hands defensively. "Didn't realize you cared that much dude."

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Trent and Bridgette were walking in the general direction they had seen the Bass leave camp. The surfer occasionally would shoot an anxious look deeper into the woods.

"What's worrying you?"

"I just don't like being alone in the woods."

Trent looks down at himself and tries to stick his arm through a nearby tree. "It appears I am really here, so how are you alone?"

"I know you're here," She chuckled nervously, "but just being in the woods scares me."

"Then let's talk about something else..."

"I know exactly what you want to ask."

"You have been down the past couple days." The musician said with palpable worry. "I know you thought you and Courtney were close, but you have to see..."

"See what?" She exclaimed suddenly. "See exactly what everyone else saw because it is easier? I can't do that. You weren't there! None of you were. I **know** she was telling the truth."

"How can you be so certain?"

"I can't say, I just get a feeling for these sorts of things."

"I'm sure you feel she was being truthful."

"It's more than just a feeling, Trent."

"Look at it from my perspective. I hung with you and Courtney a bit; she certainly seemed nice at first and apologized when she was excessively bossy. But as time passed she quickly stopped apologizing and stopped treating either of us like the friends she claimed we were. I don't think anyone besides you liked her even before the journal was found."

"It was a forgery." The surfer quickly replied, arms crossed.

"Maybe, maybe not. But it sure sounded like her. Can you honestly say that _isn't_ what she really thought about everyone else?"

"No, I can't." She admitted without pause. "And right now, it's not hard to see why. I was the only person to give her a chance, who believed that maybe she was wronged. That she needed a friend then more than ever."

"Bridgette, you have to know I only have your best interest at heart..."

"But not hers, why didn't you try and help her too. Aren't you the nice guy?"

"I gave someone like her a chance before. Several people." It was his turn to stare off into space blankly. "And every. single. one. of them backfired. They abused the trust I alone put in them."

"But isn't it all worth it if one time you reach out to someone and they respond? Doesn't that wipe the rest away? Isn't that what you will remember?"

"Maybe. Maybe if it is just one person getting hurt. But she was abusing more people than just you and me. All it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing. I made a judgment call."

"How is she _evil_? You aren't really saying that are you?" She looked back towards him. "And what judgment call?"

"Who to vote off, naturally." His eye twitched ever so slightly. "And I don't think she was truly evil, but the principle still applies. Everyone makes mistakes, sure, but at some point you have to draw the line and say enough is enough."

"I can't do that. I can never give up hope that someone can turn around and be a better person no matter what they've been through." She raised an eyebrow. "I have to say I am surprised to hear you say all this. Considering you are a nice guy and you did put up with Courtney more than any of the others, I would have thought you would be more willing to see her side of the story. I think your distrust of her made her feel even worse."

"I don't want to argue this anymore. It's clear we don't see eye to eye on this." Trent concluded with a wave of his hand.

"Oh no." Her expression was mostly serious with a slight hint of a grin playing across it. "You think you can interrogate me like that and not field questions of my own?"

The musician sighed in resignation. "Fine. What do you want to ask?"

"Why is it that you were unwilling to try and work with people like Courtney to help them? Sure you've been hurt in the past but is that really..."

Luckily for the musician, the conversation was interrupted by a rustle from a nearby bush which caused Bridgette to jump back in alarm.

"What was that?" She asked, trembling slightly.

The bush did not produce any further sound. "Probably just a bunny." Trent explained. He looked at his companion. "Something is bothering you besides Courtney, what is it?"

"It's...it's nothing." She replied in the most unconvincing tone ever.

"Right...and Heather is really nice." He rolled his eyes and but his hand on her shoulder, his tone softening. "You scared of the woods that much?"

"Yeah...I just don't like walking in the woods alone...or in small groups." She exhaled with noticeable effort. "Ironic isn't it? I love the sea and all its natural beauty, but I cannot stand being in a forest."

"Hey we all have irrational fears. Mimes..." His shuddered as he stared off into the forest for a second before shaking the look from his face.

"You're scared of mimes?" Bridgette asked with a smirk.

"I didn't laugh at you when you said you were scared of a forest stroll." Trent snapped back.

"Sorry."

"It's ok." He sighed, the slightest hint of annoyance in his voice. "Sorry for snapping at you." He paused a moment. "So if the forest scares you that much, why did you not try and get someone else to scout? Plenty of people would be willing to take your place."

"Heather told me to and I don't like passing the buck."

"Considering her record I don't see why you would follow her instructions."

"I want to avoid more conflict."

"Conflict with her is inevitable." He looked around. "It won't take long to find the Bass if they're still here, let's go."

The two Gophers continued on a path around the camp, careful to stay out of sight. Unfortunately, someone was tracking them. Someone practiced as a hunter.

"I guess they had the same idea after all, eh."

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Back at the Gopher camp, Cody and Harold had finally finished their row and sat at opposite sides of the clearing.

* * *

**Confessional**

Harold: "Bridgette..." *He sighs contentedly* "what can I say, I guess I have liked her on some level since the day I first saw her. Since then I have seen that her heart is as pure as her beauty. I will get a chance to tell her my feelings soon, I just need to find the right opportunity." *This time his sigh is more depressed* "I cannot believe Cody got in the way of my chance to take a stroll through the forest with the fair Bridgette. She is the only person here who has always been nice to me and always makes sure to include me when she teaches Cody how to surf. Sure, it's mostly just Duncan who bullies me, but the others just don't seem to value me or my mad skills." *He looks back and forth* "I am greatly shamed by my actions this morning, but I don't know if I can tell her..."

*He crosses his arms* "I just don't get Cody. If he wants to pursue the fair Bridgette, then he is welcome to an honorable duel at any time. But his true intentions are unclear. He has made moves on both the fair Bridgette and Gwen. I always suspect the integrity of a man who chases after more than one girl, even if he has left Gwen alone for a while now."

"I do not mind Trent hanging with her as much since he is clearly into Gwen, but I think I will keep my eye on him lest I am forced to duel him as well." *He gets up and walks out of the confessional*

Noah: *He walks in just after the nerd leaves and stares after him* "What is it about this island that makes everyone lovesick?"

Cody: "I think Harold blew that way out of proportion. Sure, since Bridgette has been rather depressed the past couple days I have been trying to reach out to her more, leaving her candy from the stash I brought from home, offering to go surfing..." *He sighs* "But she has barely talked to anyone. If I thought voting Courtney off would have affected her so much I wouldn't have." *His eyes grow wide* "I hope Gwen doesn't think she isn't good enough for me. Sure I was giving her space like Noah suggested, but I still am interested. Might as well use this chance to talk to her like I've said I would a couple days ago."

* * *

The geek stood up and approached the goth.

"Hey Gwen. What are you doing?"

"Trying to draw. But I keep getting distracted." She growled.

"Um. Ok. What you drawing?" He tried to glance at her pad of paper, but she quickly held it against her chest before he could see anything.

"Can't you go bother someone else? This is a chance to have some peace without the team b***h around and I don't need you ruining it."

"A bit harsh." He said taken aback.

"Isn't there someone else for you to bug? Why not just go back to hanging with Noah?"

"I've already done my community service." Noah drawled. "Can't you run the puppy?"

"Thanks for the help." She sighed.

"Look, I know we haven't started on the best foot, I don't remember doing anything that serious. Why so aloof?"

"You would like to know wouldn't you?"

"Yes..."

"But maybe I don't feel like talking about it to you. Just leave." She resumed drawing, but kept it at an angle so Cody still couldn't see anything.

"Ok...another time then. Maybe we can do lunch?"

All he got in response was an increase in the intensity of her scribbling. He looked like he wanted to continue the conversation, but he was stopped by a hand clamped over his mouth.

"Save it. Now is clearly **not **the time." Noah murmured. He pushed his friend back towards Owen.

"Thanks."

"I hope he wasn't too distracting. It's hard enough to read with him around, I cannot imagine trying to draw." It was obvious that Gwen was occupied, so Noah returned to sit with his friends.

"Thanks for the backup, pal." Cody accused.

"Some things cannot be salvaged." The bookworm shrugged.

"But it's not like you made him look better to Gwen." Owen added.

"If possible, she has less interest in talking with you now then she did during the 20 km run. Surely you noticed?"

"Well, she did seem a bit more...hostile." The geek admitted.

"Something is bugging her. Specifically something about you."

"Why do you say that, it's not like she was having a lively chat with you."

"How good are you at reading people, Cody?"

"Average I assume. Why?"

"When you have as many siblings as I do, especially when some of them are rather...volatile, it becomes a necessity of life to tell what they are feeling based on the smallest hints. Gwen visibly tensed when you walked over to her. You were doomed from the start."

"So what should I do? I want her to at least give me the chance to sit down and chat."

"I have my suspicions, but I am not certain. For the time being, just leave her alone. She will hopefully see that you are at least somewhat sensitive to her mood."

Cody looked at Gwen and sighed. "I guess that can't make it any worse."

* * *

**Confessional**

Cody: "I hope Noah knows what he is talking about. I don't want Gwen mad at me." *He scratches his chin* "I certainly haven't done anything to her, I've been so busy hanging with Bridgette..." *His eyes grow wide* "No...that's not why...is it?"

Gwen: *Still sketching* "Stupid Cody..." *her scribbling becomes more furious* "thinking I have _any_ interest in him. What is it with people making..." *she is cut off as the screen turns to static*

* * *

**End Notes**

* * *

Yes, this is a bit of an abrupt ending, but this was as far as I could go before hitting all the scenes requiring great deliberation and, conveniently, lies somewhere halfway between the one third and halfway mark for the overall challenge length. And while yee old Gophers got the lion's share of this chapter, the Bass will get a **lot** more time later on, fear not.

As always leave your thoughts and I will get the rest of this out soon enough.


	10. Chapter 10: Campception - Part 2

_**Disclaimer: **_I oday otnay wnoay Otaltay Ramaday.

_**Authorial Notations**: _I am surprised nobody commented on my Morse Code hint. And here I thought I was being so clever... Also, this is the longest chapter yet. My oh my.

_Ander Arias - _Yeah, the last bit really was unbalanced in the coverage department. It is balanced when the challenge is taken as a whole, but after I decided to split off the first half, I realized it was not a fair split at all. Oh well. Hopefully this makes up for it. And ya got to love those love pentagons. And I have to chuckle when you say I updated quickly...it has been two months since the last chapter. Not quite KN I admit, but hardly fast.

_Malzi - _I'm glad you like it, I look forward to hearing from you again. Bridgette got some time in season 1, but they really underestimated her as being a force for good to balance out some of the more sinister campers. And there are a lot more campers with sinister intents this time around, so there will need to be that much more good.

And as always, big thanks to Rufus for looking it over or me beforehand.

Shout out as well to all who have expanded the TVTropes page. It really warms the old heart to see others working to figure out all that is going on. If Justin is a Manipulative Bastard _before_ this chapter I cannot imagine what he will be afterwords. Prepare yourself.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Campception - Part 2**

* * *

The Bass had cleared a small area of debris and were enjoying the warmth of the setting sun. Somehow, goodness knows how, Izzy had managed to construct a shelter out of leaves and sticks which actually looked fairly sturdy. The rustle of the undergrowth signaled Ezekiel's return.

"Reporting in, eh." He gave a mock salute.

"There you are." Justin commented. "What do you have to report?"

"They're just on the other side of camp. I made sure to scout around their base and see how to approach unseen."

"Unseen?" The model raised his eyebrow, the slightest hints of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, uh..." the prairie boy stuttered, "don't teens usually prank each other on camping trips."

"Izzy loves pranks!" She ran up behind Ezekiel and began jumping up and down. "Can we? Can we? Can we?"

Justin let out a good-hearted chuckle. "In good time Izzy. Anything else to tell, Ezekiel? Are all the Gophers present?"

"Several of them were gone for a while, but they had all come back by the time I left. Two of them had been looking for us, but I don't think they found anything."

"How?"

"I snatched this" He pulled out a compass, "and the blonde girl was unable to go anywhere cause she was scared of getting lost. Odd, eh?"

"Most." The model stroked his chin. "They have all returned, which means they are set to win tomorrow if the girls don't return soon."

"They still got time, eh."

"It will be much harder if they don't get back before sundown. We may have to take drastic action to ensure we don't lose."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. Hand me a compass and a flashlight. I will look for them."

"You won't get lost?" Ezekiel asked as he handed over the requested items.

"No." He vanished in what could only be described as a puff of smoke. The prairie boy's eyes drift slowly towards the camera.

"Izzy has to learn that trick sometime." The red head giggled.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Despite the wishes of more than a few Gophers, the peace and quiet they were currently enjoying would not last.

"I. Hate. You. So. Much. Evaaaaaa..." Heather only barely managed to say before collapsing. "I think you broke my wrist!"

"Hardly. You should be fine in a day or two. Pansy." Eva drawled, pushing aside the huddled form of the queen bee with her foot. She put down the large bags she was holding and began stretching.

"You're just going to let her push another teammate around?" Heather asked in an accusatory tone which did a poor job hiding her desperation. "She is a monster!"

"Why should we care?" Gwen replied while keeping her face hidden behind her sketchbook. "You had no trouble taking Bridgette's mask this morning."

"Like you wouldn't have done the same in my shoes."

"Of course not."

"Hasn't she been tossing you out of the cabin door every morning for days now?" Cody asked, taking his eyes off Harold for the first time in hours. "How is this different?"

"How is it different!" She fumed.

"Oh, you should have seen it." Duncan could barely control himself as he struggled to keep walking between the weight of the tents and his uncontrollable laughter. "Those two were going at like cats." He finally gets control of himself. "It was the most one sided fight I've seen since I first got to juvie."

"She is a menace!" Heather shouted.

"If it was anyone but you, we might care." Noah commented.

"Why you..." She made a move towards him but quickly doubled over in pain again.

Before the situation could escalate any further, two more campers returned.

"Hey guys. What's going on?" Bridgette asked with raised eyebrow.

"You!" One could all but see the venom oozing from Heather's voice. "Where have you been? No way it took you four hours to look so search the area."

"We, um...lost the compass." Trent admitted.

"Lost the compass? What kind of an excuse is that? You shouldn't have gone more than a hundred feet from camp."

"Well, after we found out it was missing, I really didn't want to go off into the unknown. It took Trent forever to convince me to move." She sighed and bowed her head. "I really let my fear get to me."

"Nature girl is so afraid of the forest that she cannot bear to move if she isn't 100% sure where she is going?" Heather taunted as she pulled herself to her feet.

"What if she is?" Trent defended, putting himself in between. "I'm sure you have your own fears."

"Why are you defending her? Got a crush?" The queen bee turned her head enough to glance in Gwen's direction. The goth didn't react, but Heather was sure she had heard her.

"A little thing called human decency. Some of us..." He glanced meaningfully at Duncan who was nonchalantly cleaning dirt from under his fingernails." seem to lack it completely."

"And yet nobody cares about Eva beating me up?"

As if in answer, the jockette walked up behind her and knocked her back to the ground.

Trent looked around the group and shrugged, a malevolent grin on his face. "Doesn't look like it."

"Buuuuuuurn." Owen crowed before high fiving Noah. "Though that does seem a bit harsh." The jolly teen strode over to the prone form of his teammate and offered his hand.

"Go away."

Owen was intent on his good deed. He picked Heather up and planted her on her feet.

"Leave me alone, lard ball!"

"Lard, where?" The blonde quickly began sniffing the air, sending several palms flying into their owners' faces.

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: *She is holding a bag of ice over one eye* "I have no pretenses about my popularity on this team, but I thought most of them wouldn't be that harsh. Is that how Courtney felt." *Her eyes widen and she looks directly at the camera* "Not that I care what happened to her."

Owen: "She is pretty mean, but I cannot leave someone lying face down in the mud."

Bridgette: "I really should have stepped in and said something, but I was still suffering from thinking I was lost in the forest. I cannot believe I made Trent all but drag me back."

Gwen: "Lost the compass...right."

* * *

Heather went off to sulk in a corner, noticeably brightening the mood.

Trent retrieved his guitar and began to strum a simple chord while Eva and Duncan put up the tents.

Bridgette took one look at Cody and Harold and turned her eyes towards the camera, shrugging and raising an eyebrow simultaneously, and took a spot next to Gwen. The goth didn't acknowledge her presence.

"So, what are you drawing?"

Still no reply.

"Can I see?"

"No." Her voice was devoid of feeling.

This disturbed the surfer greatly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

The blonde moved her mouth sideways. "Why am I not convinced?"

"Maybe cause you don't know when to leave someone alone. You're as bad as Cody."

"What did I do?" She asked in alarm. "I thought we got along well enough."

"I suppose we did the, what, one time we spoke. I'm sure you have better things to do than chat. Leave me be."

"Why wouldn't I want to chat with you?"

"You've showed very little interest till now. Call be jaded, but it is no coincidence we are having this conversation now that Courtney is gone."

"I hope you don't think I'm thinking of you as a rebound friend. I've always wanted to get to know you better."

"Some way of showing it. You had me fooled."

"Look, I know it may seem like I've ignored you, but I promise it wasn't personal. Courtney just had some..." she paused for a second "issues to work through and I was there for her. And I am really bummed she is gone, not gonna lie. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be your friend either." She put her arm around Gwen's shoulder. "And maybe I can help you make some more friends on the team."

The goth pulled away, closing her sketchbook and finally looking Bridgette in the eye. "Oh, I get. You think I'm an antisocial, depressed loner who needs your help to be normal. Well guess what, I don't want or need your help. I am not your private little mission field to fix. Courtney may have fallen for it, but I sure as hell won't. Go find someone else, there are plenty of people here doting on you as is." She stood up, brushed herself off, and headed away from camp, but not before stopping behind Trent. "Can you play anything else!?"

On cue, he did just that, playing a light hearted melody that nobody recognized. This didn't seem to make her feel any better and she just shouted in annoyance and continuing away.

* * *

**Confessional**

Gwen: "I don't need someone I barely know trying to 'fix' me."

Heather: "If there is one emotion I can always recognize no matter how it's hidden, it's jealousy." *She pulls out a nail file and has at it* "Weird Goth Girl obviously is jealous of the time Trent spent alone with Bridgette especially with that textbook case horrid cover story. For the record, I'm inclined to believe them considering how wimpy Surfer Girl is. The idea that the laid back musician takes several hours to get her to move 10 feet in a forest clearing seems completely plausible. Not that I will share that with Gwen. I just need to get a way to get her to think something is going on. Just need a little blackmail here and a bit of note forging there and BAM, I am no longer the whipping girl of the team. They will learn to fear me yet!"

* * *

Night had finally fallen in the forest and both teams now sat contentedly around their campfires. The Bass slightly less so, the whereabouts of their teammates a constant source of worry.

Lindsay looked rather lost without Beth or even the pink twins to communicate with. Sure there was that hotty Justin, the crazy girl, the homeshooled boy (who was currently picking his nose...gross), and that...um...what was his name again? Taylor? That sounds right. That Taylor boy was still looking at her all the time, almost like he knew her from somewhere. Seeing as they were both alone, she decided to investigate.

"So, Taylor, what's up?" She asked as she sat next to him.

It took him a moment to respond to Lindsay, so glad was he that she was finally talking to him. "I'm great Lindsay. What about you?"

"A little worried, I've only ever camped in the back yard with my sister Paula before. Those roots weren't very comfy."

"I'm sure you will be fine. We are just over the hill from camp. Maybe we could sneak back later and sleep in our bed."

"Ohh, that's a smart idea, Taylor!"

"It's Tyler..."

"No, silly. Tyler is someone else."

"Someone else?" He asked hopefully.

"A guy from back home."

The jock had a hopeful look on his face. "Tell me about him."

"Well, he always wears a read track suit to school and he's on several sports teams. You do look a lot like him, Taylor."

"Um...Lindsay..."

Apparently the blonde did not hear him. "He may not be the best, but he always tries his hardest." She looked off towards the darkening horizon. "I always cheer as hard as I can when he plays, but I don't think he notices me."

"Don't think he notices you..." The jock's mouth hung open. With a shake of the head he closed it. "I think he noticed you for a while now but didn't realize you felt the same."

"How would you know that?"

"Because I am..."

Before the poor fellow could finish, the rustle of bushes signaled Justin's return, hopefully with the missing teammates in tow.

* * *

**Confessional**

Tyler: "I swear, you'd think he was waiting just out of sight to interrupt me. What does he have against me being with Lindsay?! Especially now that she seems to be remembering me."

* * *

"I have met with no luck, friends." Justin admitted bitterly. "And I've been up and down this sh*tty island for hours now."

"I'm sure they will get back." Lindsay nodded confidently.

"I swear, you'd think they were hiding from me." He took a deep breath before continuing in a much calmer tone. "I guess we know who to vote off if we lose."

"We won't lose, we got this! We won the last challenge and we have this one in the bag."

"Admirable enthusiasm Tyler. We should turn in early to make sure we can get back with the rising of the sun."

"I know we have to be ready for tomorrow, but since this is a camping trip, shouldn't we tell stories or something?" He scooted closer to Lindsay and but his arm around her. She did not seem to mind even if she did look a bit confused.

"Then I have just the tale to tell. A stirring epic to bring tears to the eyes of the listener."

"Are you in a drama club, dude?"

"Ohh! Is it the drama club of Life, cause I'm in that one. We put on plays and performances 27 hours a day, eight days a week. SO much fun!"

"Right..." The model cleared his throat. "This story takes place a long long time ago, in a distant land not so different from this one." He struck a pose. "There lived a fair maiden on a distant isle, without doubt the greatest beauty of the land, though not the brightest creature. But she was so kind and gentle to all she met that she was loved and protected by all those around her. She never thought of herself, only how she could help others."

"But all that changed when the son of a merchant from a distant land arrived. He had stowed away on one of his father's ships, unwilling to face the responsibilities life had given him. Perhaps at the time he was a good man, maybe he already was corrupted by greed and selfishness. He was able to escape into the tropical paradise and eventually found his way to the village of the fair maiden. They were both love-struck the moment they laid eyes on each other and what followed could only be described as a fairy tale romance. She showed him the wonders of the island and he would dote on her so. She grew to trust him more than any other to the extent that she became distant from her family and friends."

"But one day, word reached him that his father had died, and that he must return to take over the family trade. His mind filled with the thought of all the money that was his without having to do any more work and he prepared to return home. He did not find it necessary to take his 'beloved' beauty with him though, deciding that she would be a hindrance to his new position. Before the poor maiden could realize what happened, she was dropped like a bag of used tissues and left on the island, which to her was no longer a paradise but a prison. But she was not alone for long..."

"That isn't a happy ending." Lindsay pouted.

"Life doesn't always have a happy ending."

"So, what was the point of the story?" Tyler asked.

"The point," he growled, "is that there are some frail things in this cruel world worth protecting from those who would use them. Beauty is no safeguard." The model took a seat, his face unreadable and his voice emphatic. "I suggest we all get to sleep. We need to get up before dawn so we can be back in the center of camp at sunrise."

"Is that really the point?" Ezekiel asked.

Justin did not reply, instead rolling on his side facing away from the others.

* * *

**Confessional**

Ezekiel: "I've read lots of stories, eh, but that was one of the weirdest. It didn't even end."

Izzy: *She is hanging upside down from the ceiling* "He's crazy!"

Ezekiel: *Looks up then back at the camera* "Hmm..."

Lindsay: "That is the most depressing fairy tale I ever heard. The guy wasn't a nice guy, he just ran off. How is that a good story?"

Tyler: *Looks confused* "Well, I can't say I know what that was about, but I think I may have gotten Lindsay to recognize me. And it sounds like she thinks about me as much as I think about her!"

* * *

Half an hour later, all but one of the Bass was asleep. Justin was kept awake by the show Izzy was putting on.

"No! No! You can't make us go back."

She tossed and turned. Her demented dreams were becoming a nuisance to the model.

"Get those away from us!" She cried out. It was a testament to the weariness of the other campers that none were woken.

"Get what away from you Izzy?" He asked in annoyance.

"The sharp objects!"

Justin perked his eyebrow. "You're a sleep talker?"

"We are."

"And schizophrenic apparently." He muttered to himself. He continued in a voice loud enough for her to hear. "What sharp objects, Izzy?"

"They will tear us apart!" She started hugging herself tightly, her skin turning white from the intensity of her grip.

"Tear you apart, Izzy? Are you in a Saw movie?"

"Worse...a hospital!"

"I see." A gleam of understanding entered his eyes. "What kind of hospital?"

"We do not speak of it."

"Who is we?"

"We are Elizabeth."

"Tell me...Elizabeth. Why did you come here?"

"It was not our choice. It was that or...there!"

"And how did Chris get that approved?"

"Barely. He loves his ratings."

"He always has." Even in the shadow of the dirt hovel, Justin face clearly grew darker for the briefest of moments. "As fascinating as this has been, can you go to sleep please?"

"And surrender our time of independence? Never!"

As suddenly as...whatever that was started, it stopped and Izzy was silent and breathing peacefully.

"Finally." With an unreadable smile, he moved the girl next to her prairie companion. He then noticed Lindsay sitting next to Tyler, her head resting on his shoulders. With a roll of the eyes and what can only be described as a worried sigh, he gently picked up Lindsay and moved her to the other side of the dugout so that now he rested between. Only then did he catch some shut eye, the smile still on his face. Or at least he did for a minute before he heard more muttering.

"Is everyone on this team a raving lunatic?" He groaned.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

The Sun rose to find a somewhat soggy Bass team inside Izzy's dirt igloo. Ezekiel, ever the early riser, yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He glanced around to see Justin lying against the other wall, his hands crossed over his chest like an Egyptian Pharaoh of old. Tyler was resting in the corner, Lindsay breathing peacefully nearby, a slight smile on her face even in sleep. The three missing girls were still missing Ezekiel noticed with some concern. He yawned again and looked to see Izzy's head rested on his shoulder. Somewhat confused, he slowly lowered her head to the ground and stepped outside.

* * *

**Confessional**

Ezekiel: "I don't get her, eh. I'm grateful and all for her help but I don't get why she hangs with me all the time. She doesn't try to interact with any of the other girls on the team. Is that normal? I wish there were someone I could ask..."

* * *

As if on cue, he heard footsteps behind him.

"Always good to know someone else sees the value of rising early."

"Morning, Justin. Still no sign of the girls."

"Most disturbing." The model stroked his chin.

"What do we do?"

"I already spent several hours looking for them last night. We have to trust they will make it back on their own."

"Then how can we win?"

"We just have to kidnap one of the Gophers and hold them long enough to give the girls a chance to return."

"Isn't that a bit extreme? What if we get in trouble?"

"I don't think Chris will interfere with anything that adds drama or tension to the show."

"This doesn't seem right, eh. Isn't kidnapping bad?"

"I don't recall saying we will torture him or her, just hold them long enough for the girls to return. It's just a bit of fun."

"I guess..." He didn't sound remotely convinced.

A third voice interjected itself forcefully into the conversation. "Come on Zekey! Izzy always loves a good kidnapping! It's a camping tradition. She was kidnapped as a three year old and they demanded a ransom from her parents. But Izzy beat them all up and got away on her own."

"Sure..." The two boys replied. Izzy pouted at their skepticism.

"We only need two people to do this so you can stay here, Ezekiel, and keep an eye out for the girls. But if they're not here in another twenty minutes take Tyler and Lindsay back to the finish line. We'll meet you there."

"Awww, do we have to leave Zeke?"

"Do you trust Lindsay and...Tyler to get back on their own?"

"We are practically in camp..."

"I won't take any chances." Justin sighed.

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let's go Pretty Boy!" She grabbed the model by the arm and hauled him off towards the Gopher camp.

The prairie boy could only scratch his head.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

At the same time, the Gophers were just beginning to regain consciousness. But something was amiss...

"Where's Bridgette?" Cody asked.

The other campers looked around but she was not in sight.

"Bridgette!" Harold cried out.

Or earshot it would seem.

"We need to find her." The nerd concluded.

"We don't have time, we need to get back to camp. The Bass could get there at any time now." Heather counseled.

"You can't be serious? She might be hurt. Or lost. Gosh!"

"Who cares, we have to win this."

"You would really leave out there with whatever has her given her fear of the forest?" Trent asked with an accusing glare. "And here I thought you couldn't be any worse."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure we need her to win." Noah interjected.

Heather took a glared back at the angry looks she was getting from nearly everyone else on the team. "Fine. Just make it snappy. I don't want us to lose a second time."

The Gophers split into groups of two to scan the nearby forest. They could not have realized just how close they were.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Bridgette felt a little fuzzy as she woke up. As the world came in to focus she admired the grainy brown expanse of sky above and cloudy water below.

That's not right. She shook her head and realized she was hanging upside-down from one of speaker poles dotted around the center of the campgrounds.

"The prisoner awakens!" Cackled a voice from above.

"Any sign of the girls, Ezekiel?" The surfer could just make out the gorgeous figure of Justin out of the corner of her eye.

"There are other girls on the team?" Came a light, airy voice from behind.

"No, I don't...wait. I see one girl approaching. Looks like Beth, eh." He replied without looking towards the others.

A moment later the small girl walked into Bridgette's view.

"There you are Beth, you had us all worried." Justin gave the girl a pat on the shoulder which caused her to turn a bright red. He gave a quick look behind her. "Are Katie and Sadie with you?"

"No...I lotht them latht night and haven't theen them thince." The poor girl looked quite haggard. She probably didn't sleep at all.

* * *

**Flashback**

The three girls had just reached the campsite as the sun set below the tree line.

"Well, that took a lot longer than it should have." Katie commented. "Do you really know how to read maps, Sadie?"

"Of course I do." The plumper of the two pink girls held up the map and made a point of examining it closely.

"You're holding it upthidedown."

"No I'm not." She quickly flipped it.

"I totally saw that." Katie accused. "Anyone else would think you were trying to get us lost on purpose."

"Why would thhe do that?"

"If we get lost then the team loses again. I'll bet she was trying to get me kicked out!"

"What?" Sadie exclaimed, though the tone didn't quite ring true. "I would never try to kick off my BFFFL!"

"I can see your jealousy. You know Justin pays a lot more attention to you than me and you want to get rid of the competition!"

"Ith thith really the time guyth?"

"And how do I know you're not trying to throw! You handed me the map, maybe you handed me the map upside down on purpose."

"And you were too stupid to figure our something was wrong? Typical."

"What did you say?" Sadie asked, her mouth in a tight grimace and her fists clenched.

"You always depend on me to help you out in situations like this and I'm tired of it."

"Can you two calm down?" Beth pleaded.

The two girls took a long breath and, after an awkward pause, hugged.

"Sorry Sadie, I'm just so stressed right now."

"Aww, it's ok. We're still BFFFLs. And I'm not that much dumber than you."

"Well..."

"Hey!"

* * *

"And the thycle repeated itthelf for several hourth. They were gone when I woke up thith morning." The farm girl concluded. "I can't imagine why they are not back."

Justin sighed deeply. "At least you made it back Beth."

"Thorry about getting lotht."

"Just don't let it happen again. We need to play at the top of our game to win challenges."

After catching her breath, the farm girl noticed Bridgette hanging for the first time.

"Why ith that Gopher girl here?"

"We need to keep those Gopher bastards busy looking for her long enough for Katie and Sadie to find their way back." The red head shouted from her perch.

"We have to get the entire team to the finish line to win." Justin added.

"Oh."

Bridgette finally decided to interject. "Do I have to be hung upside-down? The blood is rushing to my head."

"What do you say, Captain McGorgeousness?" Izzy asked.

"We should be polite to our guest. Let her down, Izzy." Justin commanded with a glare.

It wasn't till the surfer was seated firmly on the ground that she noticed her legs and arms were tied as well.

"Is this really necessary?"

"We wouldn't want you escaping." Izzy replied.

"It grieves me deeply that is has come to this." The model sighed, the back of his hand placed against his forehead. "If you promise not to run off into the woods then I see no reason we can't cut your bonds."

She thought about it for a moment. "I promise I won't leave without the Gophers getting me."

"You've clearly never been a prison warden like Izzy has. Let Izzy tell you, cutting the prisoners loose is never a good idea. She tried that once and there was a big riot and..."

Justin rolled his eyes and cut the surfer chicks bonds. He then offered her a hand up. She slightly blushed as she took it.

"Allow me to apologize once again for your treatment. Some of the people on this team are a bit...off." The model spoke low enough that only Bridgette could hear him.

"It's alright."

"No, it isn't. I know you've been going through a lot after your team wrongfully voted off Courtney. We should have chosen someone else to kidnap."

"You think she was wrongfully voted off?" She asked with a look of hope. "Not that many people do. Actually, none of them as far as I can tell. I know she would be glad to know someone else believes in her."

"It is always a tragedy to see so many people willingly deceived so easy. I don't know how I could live with my team under similar circumstances."

"I'm sure if we had time to prove her innocence they would have voted off Heather instead." Her smile looked somewhat forced.

"Maybe. Many of your team members did seem to bear a personal grudge against her."

"You're not saying they would have voted her off anyways, are you?" She asked in alarm.

He sighed. "I prefer to look for the good in people, I really do. But at some point one has to see reality for what it is."

"I don't want to think that way. I can't." She crossed her arms and looked away. "Trent already lectured me about that yesterday."

"Calm down, I'm not forcing you to think like I do. If you can still see the good in your teammates then you are clearly a better person than I."

"Most people see it as a weakness."

"But you know it's not, and I know it's not. That's a start."

She blushed slightly.

A moment later some nearby bushes started to rustle.

"Kadie? Thatie? Ith that you guyth?"

"Hang on Bridge, I have come to rescue you!" Called the all too familiar voice of the alpha nerd. He lept out of the bushes, twirling a yo-yo in each hand like a nunchuck. "Release the fair damsel you fiend!"

"I suppose if I must play the villain, I might as well do my best." Justin sighed. He bowed slightly to the surfer before assuming a defensive martial arts pose.

The two circled, gauging each other's abilities. Harold made a swing at the model who neatly snatched the yo-yo from the nerd and tossed it aside.

"You'll have to do better than that Sir Knight!" He taunted.

"I already did!" He exclaimed triumphantly.

Justin looked behind him to see Cody running off with his former captive. "So noble of you to let another man rescue the damsel in distress. If you're lucky she may have a vague recollection of your assistance."

"It was his idea..." The red-head admitted glumly.

"Don't be down, friend, you may get your chance yet."

"What?"

Just then a high pitched scream is heard a little ways off.

"I'm guessing the two of them just met security."

A second later Bridgette was plopped down in her previous spot.

"Izzy told the Captain he was being too generous with this girl, but did he listen to her? Noooooo."

"And Cody?"

"Running away, screaming like a little girl."

"Where Cody has failed, I shall succeed!" Harold exclaimed before making a move towards Justin.

Like before, the model easily snatched the other yo-yo from his hand. Now weaponless, the alph-nerd fell back on his own martial arts skills. He made swing after swing at the model, trying to knock him off his feet. But Justin was always ready, his defenses always present to counter whatever move Harold made. This did not go unnoticed.

"Now you're just toying with me!"

"You made me the villain. Doesn't that entitle me to play with my food?" He replied innocently.

The pair spared for another ten minutes by which time Cody had rounded up all the other Gophers who, along with Chris and the present Bass, now stood in a circle around the combatants. Deciding he had had enough fun for one day, the model neatly tripped Harold and sent him sprawling to the ground.

After letting the nerd catch his breath he extended his hand. "You fought well noble opponent but I believe I have won the battle."

Harold picked himself up and looked at Bridgette, shedding a single tear in the process. "It seems I am not worthy enough to rescue the damsel."

"Is there anyone else who..."

"You know Justin, as much as I'd like to watch you beat down the Gophers one by one, I really have to draw the line and declare a winner. The Screaming Gophers! Again." Chris interrupted. "The challenge was to get your whole team back before the other team. And it looks like you're still missing to disgustingly pink girls."

"But Bridgette ith our captive."

"She is inside the border of camp. It counts."

At that moment, Kadie and Satie ran up, panting.

"Oh my gosh!" One of them exclaimed.

"That was like, so crazy." The other one added.

"Oh look it's the team!"

"We made it you guys!"

"We hope you weren't too worried."

"We just lost the challenge because of you." Justin stated without emotion, but his disdainful stare could kill.

"Oh, tension! Always good to see. Looks like I will be seeing the Bass yet again this evening. Gophers, seems like you got your mojo back!"

"Good to see you're safe. You had us all worried." Trent smiled as he helped Bridgette up.

"I'm fine. Justin was really nice about the whole kidnapping thing." She realizes what she said. "That sounds so bad, doesn't it?"

"He does seem friendly enough. Unlike Duncan."

She sighed. "I still think you're getting too worked up over our talk yesterday."

"We don't have to talk about it now. We might as well enjoy ourselves these next couple days before the next grueling challenge."

As the two went their separate ways, a pair of eyes watched them from afar.

* * *

**Confessional**

Harold: "Why does he get to be the one who gets the final word? I am the one who battled the fiend Justin in fair combat." *He sighs and puts on a smile* "I guess that could have gone much worse. I clearly need to practice my mad martial arts skills more."

* * *

The Bass team, minus the pink twins, was gathered inside their cabin.

"I can't believe we lost again." Lindsay whined. "We've never win."

"We won last time, Lindsay." Tyler reminded the blonde in a bid to get her attention.

"Oh right...Taylor."

"So, I guess we are going to vote off one of the twins, eh?"

"They are the ones who cost us the win." Justin decreed.

"I well thorry for them. We were lotht in the foretht without the team. It wath tho thcary."

"Are you volunteering to go instead?"

"No..." Beth quickly clammed up, pulling her legs against her chest.

"So do we vote out Kadie or Satie?" Izzy asked.

"Those aren't their nameth." Beth murmured.

"Izzy can't keep track. They are the same person. You got in wrong earlier anyways."

"Who are?" The clueless blonde asked.

"You guyth really don't care who ith who?" Beth asked with worry and some anger.

"We...care. But now we have to judge who is more detrimental to the team. What do you think, Beth? You were with them for much of the evening."

"I...really can't thay."

"Then I guess we'll have to do this the hard way and question them individually."

Lindsay yawned. "I need my beauty sleep. The ground was really hard on my back."

"Then you are welcome to go rest. We need you in top shape for the future."

"I don't think I'll stay either." Tyler added, hoping to get a chance to be alone with the dumb blonde. He followed closely on the heels of the recently departed girl, unworried about the result because nobody wanted to vote him out.

"What about you three?"

"Izzy always likes a good torture session! You should stay too Zeke."

"I don't know..."

"I value your opinion, Ezekiel." Justin encouraged.

"I suppose, eh."

"And you, Beth?"

The poor farm girl was still mildly traumatized by what had happened during the challenge and had fallen asleep where she sat.

"We'll take that as a no. Izzy, why don't you bring Sadie here."

"Izzy doesn't want to take part in legal proceedings. They are totally boring and last for months on end." If one listened closely, the slightest hint of sadness could be heard. "Can we just skip forward to the torture part?" Her crazy smile returned.

"Might as well." He chuckled sinisterly.

A moment later Sadie was brought in.

"Do we have to do this separately? Why can't Katie be here?"

"It's for your own good. If you knew what we know about her..."

"What? Katie and I did fight a little on the trip but we made up. We're back to being BFFFLs!"

"How are you sure she really made up with you?"

"Are you saying she might have lied?" The girl gasped.

"No. I'm saying I know she did. Just the other day I overheard her telling Lindsay how she can barely stand being around you."

"I still don't think..."

"Look..." he raised his voice for a moment but it quickly returned to a more soothing tone, "I know this is hard to accept, but ask yourself this: would I lie to you?"

The larger pink twin was completely entranced by the model's beautiful smile. "You would never lie to me, Justin." A moment later, the true weight of what had been revealed sunk in.

"I'm guessing she was the one who got you lost, yes?"

"She kept trying to lead me back but we always went in circles. That's when we started fighting." Tears started to roll down her cheeks. "She told me I knew nothing and would die in the woods without her. And now that I think about it, even after we made up she kept shooting odd glares at me."

Justin put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She would have blushed if she weren't dealing with betrayal from her best friend. "I feel bad for you, Sadie. I really do. Katie may have seemed a good friend at one point but I fear this island has brought out the real her. They say adversity brings out someone's true character, and it seems you are the one who must suffer for it. For your own good and hers, we need to vote her off. And no matter what she may say to you, don't listen. It will be hard, but it is for the best."

Sadie took another minute to think through what she heard. Then a hard determined look came to her face. "Good. We need to. She is a gossipy, backstabbing bi*ch!"

"Calm down. She will be dealt with tonight. For now, why don't you rest. We will tell the others who they need to vote for."

"Thanks, Justin. You're a real pall."

"If you need anything else, just ask." He called after her as she left.

"I don't recall hearing Katie say anything like that, eh."

"Izzy hasn't either."

"True enough. But you asked for torture, Izzy, did you not?"

"Well..."

"I suspected their friendship was unstable. Look how easily Sadie believed what I told her. She took my word, a stranger's, over someone who she's known for years. Do you really want someone like that on the team?"

"But what if Katie is the same way? Then what?" Ezekiel queried.

"We'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

A moment later the thinner of the pink twins entered.

"Why did Sadie glare at me just now? I thought we made up."

"It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that Sadie is under the delusion that you hate her. She refuses to see reason."

"What? Why does she think that?"

"She overheard something you likely said as a joke and misinterpreted it."

"But I never...oh no." Katie looked up in horror, "but I was just joking when I talked to Beth. I should go tell her."

"I tried to tell her that and all she could do was cuss you out."

"But..." She started to get teary eyed.

The model placed a hand on her shoulder. "I fear this island had brought out the worst in her. Maybe she always was like this in some way. Maybe not. But one thing is certain, she is not going to get any better in this competition. We need to vote her off for her own good and your own."

"I don't know..."

"Katie." He wiped a tear from her eye. "This is really for the best. Trust me." She looked into his eyes and blushed slightly despite the circumstances.

"Alright. I don't know if I can tell everyone else to vote her off."

"Then let us do it. Go and rest. And you should avoid Sadie, it will make her departure easier."

The girl nodded her head slightly and walked out the door.

"What was that, eh?" Ezekiel fumed. "You just got the two of them mad at each other for no reason. You already could have voted off whichever one you wanted, why did you do that?"

"Simple, I wanted to find out just how gullible they are and how they act without using the other as a crutch."

"I don't know..." Izzy pondered with a worried expression.

"Using first person now?" He chuckled, "And second, this was a test for you. While I admit this exercise did not really accomplish anything, I needed to show you two what may be necessary to win this game. You were eager enough to help me with kidnapping, Izzy. Surely bringing the problems in their relationship to light is not a bad thing?"

"You think tearing people's friendships apart is necessary to win?! I may not know what you guys in the cities do, but I would never do anything like that!" The prairie boy could barely contain his outrage.

"You said yesterday that you agreed to work with me to get to the final three. Your word is all well and good and your skill is not in question, but I need to know if you are willing to do what I tell you, no matter how painful it is."

"That is wrong. I refuse to have anything to do with it."

"You know as well as I that our alliance is the only way you are going to get off this god-forsaken team. I will get to the merge without you, but I would prefer not to. You were willing enough to kidnap the blonde Gopher."

"That's different and you know it."

"Is it? You've already been willing to start down the slope, why stop now?"

"There is a clear line here!"

"If you refuse, don't expect me to offer it again."

"I ain't gonna put aside what is right cause you ask me. I refuse!" The home-schooled boy got up in a huff and made for the door. "And if you decide to vote me off for it, so be it!"

"Very well. Go ahead and pack your bags. I must tell the others how you lied to me, and hence those poor girls, about what was said. They won't want to keep someone like that on the team." Justin called after him with a grin. He turned around to face Izzy. "You should convince him to stay."

"Why? Even though I love a good prank as much as the next person, you went much too far. I admire him for taking a stand."

"A stand you didn't take."

"Much to my shame. Maybe I can have that kind of resolve some day..." She looked after her departed friend and sighed before glaring at the model. "And even if I didn't have a problem with your nonchalance about using people, why on Earth should I get Zekey to bend?"

Justin stared at her for a moment of silence. "He means a lot to you, doesn't he? And after such a short time. Considering his...rugged looks, you obviously hang with him because you like his personality, and judging from what I have seen, I'd say the feelings are mutual and could very well extend beyond being friends, given time. Either way, he is the only person on this Island who pays any attention to you. The only person who believes you are worth his time."

"So Zekey has principals, treats me nicely, and he is kind of cute in his own way. Where are you going with this?" The crazy girl asked, blowing a strand of hair out of the way.

"Simple, imagine what his reaction will be when he finds out just what a messed up person you are. He may know you're...unique. But if he knew half of what I've heard, I doubt he would want anything to do with you."

"Ha!" she exclaimed victoriously, "if you're referring to that Elizabeth nonsense then you are more gullible then I thought. I have a hundred other throw away stunts like that up my sleeve. You don't have anything on me."

The model seemed slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered. "In retrospect that bit did sound a little fantastical. Perhaps that was all an act like you say. Perhaps not. But it is what you said afterwords that I find so fascinating."

"Afterwords?" The girl's confidence rapidly began to fade.

"I have encountered many messed up families in my life, but none begin to compare to yours. I can't imagine _anyone_ wanting to have _anything_ to do with you after they here that. And if Ezekiel means to you even a fraction of what I suspect, you would find it quite crushing if he decided he wanted nothing more to do with you. What a lonely time that would be when your one friend can no longer stand you."

"I..." The poor girl was at a loss for words and was beginning to tear up.

"And before you say 'he is a better person than that' let's not forget his decidedly sexist remarks. Who knows how he really sees you. If he hears what a pain in his ass it would be to ever get to know you in real life he would try to move on to easier girls."

"But...he wouldn't...I..."

"You have far too much to lose by not convincing him to work with _us_. I suggest you make your choice. Now."

It took her a moment, but she finally managed to pull herself to her feet and shamble on wobbly legs out the door.

l*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*ll*-*-*-*l

Ezekiel hadn't gone far. He was panting hard after shouting, but looked pleased with himself.

"So, you're willing to leave over this?" Izzy asked.

"Yes."

"And leave Izzy alone?" She shuddered and sat down hard. "With him?"

"Alone?"

"He will vote Izzy out next time after getting rid of you today."

"Come on Izzy, we can totally convince the others to vote him out, you'll see."

"Don't be stupid, we've talked about this before. Unless you have a recording of what happened, they will never believe you over him."

"What are you saying?" He was clearly alarmed by where this was going.

"Izzy appreciates your moral stand, but I fear the damage is done to the pink morons. Katie really said those things, even if it was to Beth and not Lindsay. Please stay."

"I can't. It wouldn't be right."

"Damn what's right!" She exclaimed. After taking a couple breaths she continued. "If we leave now, he will have nobody to stop him. He will mess up eventually and if we stay and gain his confidence, we will be there, ready to expose him. We can try to work against Justin from the inside and limit what future damage he causes. It's the only reasonable course of action."

"I..."

"Please..." She reached out and took his hand, a single tear rolling down her face. "I need you...to stay."

The prairie boy blushed madly at the contact. He was also somewhat confused. "Don't cry Izzy." He sighed deeply. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

"You can do more good here then back on the farm."

"Fine, we'll play along, eh. But I still don't plan on doing anything evil."

"We may have to do some unsavory things if we want to stay around long enough to catch him. We'll just take it on a case by case basis and avoid bending the rules more than we have to."

"If it gets you to stop crying."

He walked back through the door to find the model that he had come so quickly to despise. He left a minute later towards the rest of the team.

Izzy was crying quietly, alone on the steps of the cabin. Footsteps approached.

"You really should be careful with what you say in your sleep, my dear." Justin chuckled.

"F**k you." She muttered.

"How easily he fell to your wiles. It looks like all that moral blather of his was worth nothing after all. And he almost had me convinced."

She lashed out at him, taking a swipe at his cheek with her nails. He easily caught her hand and used her own momentum to send her flying across the yard in front of the cabin.

"Calm down, girl. I don't think you or your _boyfriend_ will find me a hard taskmaster."

Neither of them noticed Beth desperately trying to keep her eyes shut.

* * *

**Confessional**

Chris: *His eyes are wide but his tone is hard to make out. It is somewhere between horror and respect* "Wow...that was something. Should bring in lots of viewers...he he..." *His grin is even more fake than usual*

* * *

An hour later the Bass sat at the campfire (which was not lit considering it was still morning) with Chris holding the plate of marshmallows. He shook his head slightly.

"My dear Bass, it looked for a moment there like you had broken the Gopher's winning streak and stop being the looser team. But it looks like you just can't pull yourselves together and win unless the other team is completely self-destructing. I just can't believe your team is this bad. I thought I had everything planned out so it would be a balanced competition but I guess not it would seem."

Most of the team hung their heads in shame. Justin looked through Chris, unblinking.

"So, without further ado, the following campers are safe: Ezekiel, Izzy, Tyler, Lindsay, Beth." The rest of you got at least one vote against you.

The two pink clad girls were shooting malicious glares at each other. Justin looked at Ezekiel and Izzy who shrugged their shoulders. The model's eyes narrowed to slits but something caught his eye. Beth was avoiding looking at him. A most unusual state of affairs.

"I can't believe you think so little of me, Sadie. I thought we were friends again you fat cow!"

"I hope you packed your bags, you b*tch cause we are sending you home. We don't need backstabbers like you. Don't try to hide your guilt."

"As it turns out Sadie..."

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"You are the one going home."

"What? Why? I thought we had decided on getting rid of Katie?"

"Sorry, Satie. We decided you were too ugly to stay." Lindsay freely admitted with a wave of the hand. The other Bass buried their heads in their hands and sighed in annoyance.

"But...but..." The girl looked close to tears. It didn't last long.

Mostly cause she was pushed into the mud by Katie. "I never want to see you again! Not after what you did!"

"Loving this drama." Chris whispered to the camera.

Before the larger of the pink girls could respond, Chef picked her up, flung her over her shoulder, and carried her off to the Dock of Shame.

"Well, that was an exciting elimination ceremony." The host fully turned to face the camera. "What will the next challenge be? Will the Bass lose again? Probably. If they lose another challenge I may be forced to switch the teams up. But hopefully not cause that is more work than I want to do. But the only way to be sure is to tune in next time for another exciting episode of Total! Drama!..."

"Hey, Pretty Boy!"

"What, Chef. It better be important!"

The two men held a whispered conference for a minute before Chris returned to the fire pit with a sadistic grin.

"Well, it looks like the Gopher girl's side of the cabin is a complete loss, which means they need a new place to live. Since the network would never allow co-ed rooms, that means somebody is getting booted out. And since there are only three Bass guys left, looks like it's you fellows."

"Where will we stay then, eh?"

"I have a nice tent you can use. It's at the camp site** I meant for you to go to**." He sneered victoriously and walked of cackling. And just because, it started raining.

"This sucks." Tyler groaned.

"Correction, this would suck if we were stuck out here. Luckily..." Justin pulls small key from his pocket "we have other options. Chris will regret this. Count on it."

* * *

**Confessional**

Izzy: *She stares dead eyed at the camera* "Why is Izzy so selfish? Izzy doesn't deserve to clean his feet."

Justin: *He holds two identical pink hand mirrors, one in each hand. He gazes back and forth from one to the other before shrugging and throwing one out*

Beth: *She stares off into space, shivering uncontrollably* "It can be true...how could thomeone so handthome be tho evil?"

* * *

**Votes**

Justin: Sadie

Ezekiel: Sadie

Izzy: Sadie

Lindsay: Sadie

Tyler: Sadie

Sadie: Katie

Katie: Sadie

Beth: Justin

l*-*-*-*l

Katie: 1

Sadie: 6

Justin: 1

* * *

**End Notes**

* * *

And now we see the true face of Justin. A villain who I think will ultimately dwarf Al, Heather, and others from the show and many fan-fictions in shear malevolence. Whether there are other villains in this story who can compete with his deviousness will have to be seen...

As always, please leave a review telling me what you think. I always like hearing from you. God knows when the next chapter will be finished, but fear not, I will keep plugging along.


	11. Chapter 11: Phobia - Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I'm running out of clever ideas for this...so... I don't own Total Drama. Otherwise it wouldn't be a show for little kids. I prefer a far more mature story where the characters have to face real hardship. Like this one...

**Authorial**** Notations**: I hate it when you buffoons see the need to leave your reviews scattered all over my beautiful story. Grrrrrrr. (I bet nobody reads this bit do they?)

_Malzi_: Glad you like it so much. I hope I can always live up to whatever hype Rufus drums up. Goodness. For Al to go beyond Justin would be hard. While he could murder/rape someone, that feels like cheating. Besides, I would say Justin gave a mental rape the results of which will take some time to play out. We will see if the next challenge provides as much pure awesome (it will).

_Mighty Penguin_: How is Noah not in it that much? It seems to me that he always has some snide comment to throw into any conversation as long as he is in the room.

_jnrb_: While the last chapter was more Bass-centric, the challenge as a whole was even, and I hope to keep it balanced for the most part. I will probably fail, though.

_Ander Arias:_ I think it's safe to say Katie will get a bit more development in this challenge, though not in this chapter. As for the state of E/I...well, you shall find out soon enough.

Sorry for the long delay. Between a busy semester and getting caught up in other activities, I have gotten away from this. Fear not, if I choose to discontinue this story I will post a nice summary.

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed and thanks to all who have worked on the TVTropes page. I have to say, I know I said last time that Justin was a new kind of total drama villain, but I wouldn't say he is _the_ main villain even if he has gotten a lot of focus. He is one of several main ones.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Phobia - Part 1**

* * *

Chris stands once more upon the Dock of Shame, his infamous grin and excessively wide smile barely concealing a look of concern.

"Last time on Total Drama Island!" *We see the campers sitting in front of Chris* "I gave the campers a simple challenge yet again. They had to follow a map I gave them, find the campsite marked, set up tents, tell stories, have a good scare or two, and make it back here in one piece the next morning...but what did the lazy teens do? They stopped just outside of camp, sent a couple people for supplies and stayed put. Luckily, do to my excellent talent scouting skills, the teens still had enough conflict to make the misadventure interesting." *Scene shifts rapidly through several scenes as described* "Heather tried to find out who sent a note to Courtney but was unsuccessful and managed to get herself beaten up by Eva and found out just how little her team thinks of her; Trent and Bridgette had a long and boring philosophical discussion about forgiveness and Courtney; Gwen seems to hate Cody more than before and rebuffed Bridgette's attempts at being friendly. Maybe because our friendly musician and surfer were 'lost' in the woods for several hours due to her 'phobia'? He he. Meanwhile the Bass lost. Again. But Justin more than redeemed the horrid performance of his team when he threatened to reveal something from Izzy's past to her crush Ezekiel to get her to pull him down off the moral high ground he had taken after they witnessed the model tear apart the frankly annoying friendship of Katie and Sadie. Such manipulation was quite an enjoyable sight to see. Reminds me of another handsome fellow." *Back to the dock* "But now, what new challenge awaits? Could this possibly be the most terrifying challenge yet? The only way to know for sure is to stay tuned in right here, right now on Total! Drama! Island!"

***Cue Theme***

The Bass gathered around the campfire the evening after their latest defeat. To say the mood was gloomy would be quite the understatement. Ezekiel and Izzy sat apart from the group, just barely visible in the flickering light. Justin sat between Lindsay and Tyler, though for once the teen in red didn't care, his attention focused elsewhere.

"Man...I can't believe what happened. Must be hard to have your friend turn on you like that." Tyler consoled the remaining pink girl.

"I don't want to talk about it." She growled.

"Fine. Fine." The jock leaned away, his hands held up in self-defense.

"Let's just leave Katie alone for now. She probably just needs to work through some things on her own." Justin advised.

"Is that the best way of helping?" Lindsay asked.

"Yes."

"Oh, OK!" She replied with a cheery smile.

Before this enlightening conversation could go any further, the Gopher team approached.

"I hope you enjoyed your celebration." Justin for once was barely trying to hide his annoyance.

"We sure did, losers." Heather jeered.

"That is hardly called for. You won again, but you don't need to rub it in our faces."

"Oh shut it with the nice guy act. You would be gloating for three solid days if you pulled off another win. Which you won't. Evvverrr."

The model was about to reply when someone else spoke.

"Just cause being decent is so alien to you, Heather," Trent all but spat her name out "doesn't mean others can't demonstrate human decency."

"Well put, my friend." The model smiled.

* * *

**Confessional**

Heather: "Has anyone else on our team been paying attention to what is going on over there? Almost everyone who might have had a brain has gotten the boot, leaving Justin as the face of the Bass. How many of us could name all the losers on the other team? Either he is behind it all or someone is using him as a mouthpiece while playing the part of the drooling imbecile themselves from the background. The question is: how do I play this to benefit me?"

Trent: "Seriously, does Heather see herself reflected in everyone? Bridgette told be what happened earlier and between that and our little chat before Courtney got the boot, he seems like a decent guy. Certainly far better than Heather and Duncan."

* * *

"So why did you come here then?"

"Malibu insisted, said she felt bad for you. Can't imagine why, especially after you kidnapped her." Duncan admitted.

* * *

**Confessional**

Bridgette: "I've been thinking about it for a couple hours now. Was kidnapping me and holding me hostage a bit scary? Yes. Was it wrong by an objective standard? Probably. But they didn't do any lasting damage and I can't blame them for trying what they thought would work to win. Not when they have lost so many times. I can't imagine how bad that must feel."

Harold: "Wouldn't it be nice if Bridge had been kidnapped and I had been able to save her, all while defeating the villainous Justin in single combat? At least he would be an honorable opponent." *He sighs* "I wonder if the Bass would stage another kidnapping." *Eyes go wide.* "Not really of course I have a code of honor to follow."

* * *

"I must apologize for that incident again. I hope it wasn't to unnerving." The model apologized.

"Compared to thinking we were lost in the forest yesterday, that was nothing." The surfer nervously chuckled.

"It must be a deep seated fear."

"Yeah, I was on a camping trip with my dad when I was really little and we got separated. Probably the scariest thing I've ever been through." She shivered involuntarily.

"We all have our fears, Bridgette." Trent consoled while rubbing her back, earning him glares from Cody, Harold, and Gwen though he did not notice. "As I told you, I can't stand mimes. I uh...was at the...mall with my mom. I lost track of her for a minute when out of nowhere a white painted face barges into mine. I'm sure now that he meant well, but it took a lot of effort not to scream out loud."

"Pansies." Duncan muttered.

"Oh really? What are you afraid of Duncan?"

"No..."

"And don't you dare say 'nothing'. We're all afraid of something."

"I...um...Selene Dion standees." He admitted with great effort.

"Ha! You're pathetic." Heather laughed harshly.

"It's those eyes. So...dead and...cold." He looked a bit dazed but managed to collect himself. "Anyways, what's your big fear?"

"Like I'm telling you losers."

"You better spill the beans." The punk cracked his knuckles.

A look of fear flashed across her face for the briefest of moments. "It's...Sumo Wrestlers, ok. Happy?"

"What is scary about those lumps of lard? Their as scary as an obese, limbless zombie trying to get you by doing the worm. And you said I was pathetic."

Noah sat between Owen and Gwen, the latter of whom looked lost in thought while sparing the occasional glance at Trent and Bridgette. Taking advantage of Duncan and Heather's bickering, the bookworm leaned over towards the goth. "Are we really having a fear share session?" His disbelief was palpable even though he was whispering.

"Looks like." She rolled her eyes but didn't turn towards Noah.

The bookworm leaned over further and whispered something in her ear, causing her to relax noticeably.

"I owe you one." She smiled.

"I'll keep that it in mind." He smirked.

Meanwhile, Heather and Duncan's back and forth had come to a standstill though the air was still charged.

"Oh...I know!" Lindsay exclaimed. "I'm most afraid of having to walk through a minefield." She paused for a moment before adding "in heels!"

"Why is that?" Tyler asked.

"No...no reason." She stuttered. "What are you afraid of, Taylor?"

"Promise you guys won't laugh?"

"Course not, man." Owen thumped his chest.

"Nope." Duncan chuckled to himself.

"It's...chickens. I can't stand those things."

"You're afraid of a flightless, domesticated bird?" Harold asked, his tone more curious than mocking.

"Yeah."

"Wish my greatest fear was so...edible."

"Oh, this should be good." The green haired punk mocked.

The nerd shot back a glare of his own. "I'm afraid of ninjas. Or, to put it more accurately, being..."

"Ninjas?! Wow, and I thought you were already nuts."

"I didn't mean ninjas per se. I meant..."

"Don't think you can back out of it now, dweeb."

"Has to be better than being afraid of a lifeless cardboard cutout."

"Don't...push...it."

"I mean, those things don't move. At all. And they aren't even the holographic kind that are always looking at you. And..."

He never got to finish his comeback as he was swiftly silenced by a punch to the jaw.

"Good...to know...I was getting to you." He sputtered, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Shut...up!"

"Feeling touchy are we?" Trent taunted.

"Moving on..." Bridgette interjected. "Who wants to share next?"

"Well, I'd have to go with...um..." Cody looked around nervously, the wheels turning. "defusing a time bomb. Under pressure."

"As opposed to the time bomb where there is no pressure?" Noah drawled. He dropped his voice several octaves. "Please diffuse this ticking time bomb Mister Anderson, but please, don't feel pressured in any way. Take all the time in the world."

"I guess that would go without saying." the geek sheepishly admitted. "What's your fear, Noah?"

"Hmm. I'd say..." he moved his hands up and down like a scale, "being surrounded by idiots without a book to keep me sane."

"I doubt that happens often, buddy." Owen elbowed his friend.

Noah raised an eyebrow as he tried to hold back a laugh. "Not at all, Owen, not at all. What's your fear?"

"Planes, man. I can't stand being in them and looking down and...gah!" He shuddered in fear.

"So it's a fear of heights?"

"No. Maybe. But only for heights than can only be reached by one of those infernal contraptions. What about you, Izzy?"

"What?" she jerked upon hearing an unfamiliar voice call her name. "Oh...I a...I can't stand planes either. Those...infernal contraptions."

"Oh, that was convincing." Noah muttered to his large friend.

"Be nice, dude. Something's obviously bothering her."

"What is your fear...Justin?" She spat out his name with a venom that caused many of the campers to shoot her an odd look.

"Well..." he began, completely unfazed by her tone, "it would most likely be a fear of spiders. Those sticky webs get all over your face. Ugh. It takes forever to get them out of my hair."

"That's original." Duncan muttered.

"But perfectly understandable." The model gave the punk a condescending look. "Tell us what you fear most, Ezekiel."

"You!" He blurted out, though he immediately appeared to regret it.

"Curious." The model stroked his chin, seemingly unfazed by the outburst.

"Why would you be afraid of him?" Trent asked.

The prairie boy looked to Izzy for support but she refused to look at him.

"What do you fear, Beth?" Justin leaned back and tapped his fingers together, looking rather amused.

The girl's eyes were darting back and forth like a caged animal. "Eh...being covered in...bugs. Definitely."

"Gross!" Heather looked ready to heave but shook it off. "What are you afraid of, Weird Goth Girl?"

"...being buried alive." She shuddered.

"That's...morbid."

"You asked."

"Right..." The queen bee obviously had no desire to remain on the subject, "what would your fear be, Eva?"

"Fear. It is the only thing worth fearing. Fear makes you weak and useless."

"Pretty sure there are some things we should be afraid of. Poisonous frogs, deadly challenges,..." Tyler commented.

"I'm not advising stupidity. Use your brain."

"That isn't nice, Ava." Lindsay chirped.

"Whatever."

"I guess that just leaves Katie. What do..." Bridgette trailed off when she noticed an absence from the circle. Before she could ask where the girl had gone, she noticed a light on in the Bass girl's cabin from whence the faint sound of sobbing drifted through the otherwise calm night air. "She doesn't look like she's in the mood to talk about her greatest fear."

"Probably living it right now." Noah added nonchalantly.

"Dude..."

"Fine, Owen. You're worse than mother dearest."

"Well, that was a heartwarming exchange, but I really need to sleep." Heather yawned. The other girls from both teams departed shortly after the queen bee.

"I suppose we should get some rest after the last challenge." Justin concurred.

"Bummer about you guys getting stuck outside without shelter." Cody stuck out his hand. "I think that storm from earlier may be returning."

"We could flip the hot tub and let you sleep underneath." Harold suggested.

"I think we will just use the same dirt cave we used to sleep in last night until we can get a better alternative." Justin decided. "But my thanks for your concern."

"Hold on a minute." Duncan interrupted. "I don't think any of us want to sleep in the same room as lard ass in case he lets another one loose. One of you guys could take his place if you want."

"You want to deal with Heather when she rages about fraternizing with the enemy?" Noah asked.

"That's the other half of my reasoning." The punk rubbed his hands together, a slight leer on his face.

"That doesn't seem fair." Cody interjected. "It's hardly Owen's fault that he has a gas problem."

"Have you seen him eat? Don't tell me it isn't his fault."

"Isn't whose fault?" The blonde teen asked, having only just returned from a trip to the restroom.

"You're out of the cabin dude. It's for the sake of our noses. You can sleep wherever the Bass are."

"You don't have to do what that jerk tells you to, Owen." Harold advised.

"So I get to meet the other guys here? Cool!" He cheered before hastily adding, "not that I don't like hanging with you guys of course."

"I'm sure we will make do without you for a couple nights somehow, buddy." Noah sighed, the back of his hand held against his forehead.

"I'll miss you too." He put his arm around Noah's neck and pulled him into a bear hug.

"Can't...Breath!"

"Oops, sorry dude."

The bookworm brushed himself off. "Just be careful." He turned towards the other team. "So, is one of you brave enough to occupy his bed? We are not responsible for whatever you may or may not come in contact with while sleeping."

"Quite the salesman." Justin smirked. "Well, I shall seek a place to rest elsewhere, who's with me?"

* * *

**Confessional**

Ezekiel: "As tempting as sleeping away from Justin would be, the alternative sounds disgusting, eh."

Tyler: "Maybe I will get the chance to ask that jerk what his problem is with me and Lindsay." *He yawns* "If I can stay awake long enough..."

Owen: "Aww, Noah doesn't want me thinking I'm being replaced by having one of the other guys sleep in my bed. Why else would he tell them my bed was dirty? I have kept a strict No-Food-In-Bed policy since Mom made me hand wash my sheets every time I got food on them." *He grins sheepishly* "And that happened a lot."

Justin: *He taps his fingers together, then shrugs*

* * *

"So none of you want to sleep in his bead...?"

"Doesn't look like it."

The other Gopher boys departed, leaving Owen with Justin, Tyler, and Ezekiel.

"So, are we going to sleep in the dirt mound?" Tyler scratched his head.

"I suppose if you _really_ want to you can, but I still plan on going with my earlier plan." Justin turned to the large teen. "You've lucked out my friend. You will be sleeping far more comfortably then your teammates. It was pretty cruel of them to push you out like that."

"I really don't mind. That incident yesterday was ultimately because of me and I can't wait to get to know you guys better."

"Same here, dude." The model flashed his award winning smile. "Shall we be off then?"

After Owen grabbed his things from the cabin, the four boys headed towards the dock then angled off along the coastline.

"So, where are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough."

Tyler and Ezekiel walked abreast, trailing a couple paces behind.

"Are you okay, dude?" The jock inquired, a look of concern on his face. "You and Izzy have been really down today since the vote."

"Do you get girls?"

"Um," Tyler was thrown off for a second by the change in subject, "I don't think any guy 'gets' girls. Some girls I know have admitted the same." He paused for half a minute. "What do you mean by 'get' girls? If you mean 'have I gotten laid a lot' then no. I don't go for the quickie flings."

"No, I meant do you understand them?"

"Something specific you had in mind?"

The prairie boy looked ready to continue but had a second thought. "No, it's nothing."

"Um...are you..."

"It's nothing!"

"Fine, dude. Sorry." The jock backed down, mystified by the boy's sudden anger.

After another quarter of an hour, the four boys had arrived at a large house. More a mansion to be precise.

"Woah, what is that?" Owen's jaw was all but dragging on the ground. "Who lives there?"

"Chris and Chef. And to think they put us in those horrid cabins." The model sighed.

"So, where are we staying?"

"In there."

"Is that allowed?"

"From a certain point of view."

"Man, the other guys are gonna be so jealous when they hear about it."

"You can't tell them. We can't risk word of this getting out. We managed to find an unused room in the basement and a couple of Chris' spare mattresses. If he finds out its back to the dirt hovel for us."

"Oh. I won't tell then."

Justin reached into his pocket and pulled out key with which he promptly unlocked a nearby back door. As soon as the others had entered, the model closed and locked the door behind them.

"Nice. How'd you get that?" Owen asked.

"Would you believe Chris left this spare under a rock within arm's reach of the door? How typical."

"Won't he notice if you don't put it back?"

"He never uses that door. Besides, I would prefer keeping it on me in case I need it."

Justin led them down several corridors, continually checking for any sign of Chris or Chef. After a couple minutes they had made it to the secluded basement room.

"Luckily we have a spare mattress for you. There is a small bathroom around the corner, but remember to be as quiet as possible." The eye candy advised.

The blonde lay down on his back on the king sized matress. "Nice and comfy. Not that my standards are very high. A bed is a bed."

"A sound principle. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to wash my hair. Anything more might attract unwanted attention."

Owen glanced at the other two boys as soon as Justin left. "So you're Tyler, right?"

The red suited jock was out cold, snoring away and unaware of what was going on around him.

"Never mind then." Before he could speak again, the sounds of soft sobs drifted from the prairie boy who was also stretched out on his mattress. Being the good-hearted teen that he was, Owen sat next to him. "You alright, dude?"

He got no reply.

* * *

**Confessional**

Owen: "Not the most talkative bunch, are they? How am I supposed to learn about 'their team's dynamic'" *He finger quotes* "if they don't talk."

Ezekiel: "I don't know who I can talk to, eh." *He sighs* "Justin" *He spits the name out* "I would rather never talk to again and I'm sure Tyler is wrapped around his finger like everybody on this team. I don't know any girls on the team other than Izzy and she's been acting... detached since this morning. She hasn't said more than two words to me. Why?! After acting so nice and asking me to stand by and let Justin tear Katie and Sadie apart then she can't even talk to me? What is it with girls? Dad always said to watch out for them cause they aren't as strong as guys and can be emotional, but he never said they would use me like that. Why?!" *He breaks down in tears*

* * *

"I guess I have to wait till Justin gets back." Owen muttered.

"No!"

"Oh, you are awake. Having a bad dream?"

"More like a bad reality."

"What? It can't be that bad."

"You have no idea. I'm tired of this stinking island."

"But we've only been here a couple weeks. Wait, you're home-schooled, right? This is probably the longest you've been away from home, right?"

"I've been away from home for years at a time." Ezekiel grunted.

"Oh...ah...sorry, man. I didn't know."

"You didn't care to ask either, did you? You just assumed I was homesick."

"I said sorry. I can't go through life assuming everyone has been away from their family for years, can I."

The prairie boy sighed. "You're right, sorry." He looked at the wall for a couple seconds. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you understand girls?"

"Uh...I don't know. No girl has ever said I understand her so...I guess not. Why do you ask?"

"There's a girl on my team who has been acting odd."

"Odd?" Owen's voice had a slightly defensive tone.

"Izzy. I don't get why she hung around with me so much. I never saw her with anyone else on the team for more than a minute but since this morning she has ignored me."

"That is odd. Maybe she, you know, likes you. Sounds like fairly standard crush behavior to me."

"Likes me? Likes me?!" He fumed.

"I don't think any girl would hang solely with one guy if she didn't like him." Owen sounded dejected.

But Ezekiel did not notice. "That doesn't make any sense! Not after how she acted."

"Don't judge her cause she acts a little different sometimes, dude!"

"You have no idea what she did. What she is like."

"It doesn't matter! I'm sure she is tired of being judged by everyone here. I'll bet she trusted you only to feel betrayed when she figured out you thought she was crazy as well."

"You. Know. Nothing. Just go away." Ezekiel growled before turning to face the wall.

* * *

**Confessional**

Owen: "I don't think he appreciates what he has. I wish Izzy was chasing me around everywhere. I bet it's his fault she is acting different...er."

* * *

At that exact moment, conveniently enough, Justin returned.

"Would you two keep it down, I could hear you from down the hall." He whispered harshly.

"Sorry, I just got a little worked up."

"So I figured." The model drawled. "Care to share?"

"I don't know if I should..."

"Your concern is commendable. I can tell something is troubling my friend but he has been unwilling to open up. I cannot help him if he doesn't tell me what is wrong. If you know something, please let me know."

"It seems he and Izzy have barely talked today and now he feels...betrayed I guess. I suggested that she likes him but he did not believe me and spoke rather harshly about her." Owen paused for a second but decided to continue. "I think Izzy may be aloof if she thinks Ezekiel thinks she is crazy like everyone else."

"An interesting hypothesis." The model sat down against a wall, crossed hands resting on his nose. "I hope you are wrong. Despite her...eccentricities, I don't think dear Izzy is crazy. Just...misunderstood."

"It's good to know someone on her team will stand up for her." The large team gave the model a friendly slap on the back.

"I will talk to him about it tomorrow and see if the problem can be resolved. Thank you for telling me."

"I don't like to see people angry."

"You sounded angry a minute ago."

"Well I..."

"But it was a good cause. Don't feel bad." Justin gave Owen a pat on the shoulder. "Must make for some tough times on your team, all those tempers flaring."

"Yeah..." The larger teen reluctantly admitted. "Heather is always mad at everyone and Eva can be downright scary. Trent and Courtney were always staring each other down and arguing all the time before she left and now he has been giving the same look to Heather and Duncan. I almost feel sorry for Heather. Sure she can be mean, but do we need to bully her back?"

"Not nice? Bully back?"

"'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it' my mother always said. Eva roughed up Heather yesterday but most of the team just laughed at her and said some mean things."

"So you don't approve of it?"

"I mean, those two are often mean and hurt my friends. Maybe giving them a little taste of their own medicine is the best solution. I don't know."

"I didn't know they were being nasty to Noah and Cody."

"Well, no. Duncan is always making Harold do things he doesn't want to or making fun of anybody in a pickle. Heather doesn't ever consider the needs of others and is always getting into fights with the other girls on the team. I just consider everyone here a friend."

"Why don't we talk about a more pleasant subject. Tell me about your close friends Noah and Cody."

"Poor Cody is interested in both Gwen and Bridgette. But Harold is also interested in Bridgette and is especially angry at Cody for trying to pursue two girls at once. Sometime he acts like some of the...not nice popular kids at school."

"He acts mean?"

"Oh no, he just struts around like one of them, but he is to nice too actually hurt anyone on purpose."

"We have a little love triangle going, then? Or is it a square? How dramatic."

"I know right? Cody, Cody, Cody." Owen shook his head in a most exaggerated manner.

"And Noah?"

"My little buddy is very funny. He always has a hilarious comment to make on whatever is going on and he's always willing to hang out on the off days."

"What a charming fellow."

"Yeah. If he isn't reading he is...I think he is writing a book too."

"A book?"

"Or a paper or something. He has lots of sticky notes he keeps in a notebook that he is always rearranging or rewriting. I keep meaning to ask him about it."

"Quite the creative one, then." Justin yawned.

"I don't think he'd like being labeled that."

"Really?"

"He always talks about what the logical approach to a problem is. That and he told me he cannot stand modern art."

"Neither can I. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whoever thinks those are good looking needs their eyes checked."

Owen chuckled. "My little buddy would probably agree with you on that." The boy glanced at Tyler's prone form. "What's his story?"

"I don't know, I never asked him about his home. I haven't heard him talk about it to anyone."

"Is he shy?"

"No, he is just...focused on other things." When the model saw the blank look on Owen's face he continued, "Let's just say he has spent a lot of time and energy pursuing one of the girls to the exclusion of all else."

"Huh. Noah said the exact opposite about himself yesterday."

"A wise stance. Such...connections will only serve as a distraction." Justin eyes glazed over, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Dude...you ok?" The blonde snapped his fingers.

"I'm fine. It's been a long couple days and I need some sleep."

"Ok." Owen sighed.

The model chuckled warmly. "Don't worry, man. We can talk tomorrow." He lay down on his mattress and yawned deeply. "Oh, I meant to say that you should totally peruse what Noah is writing. I know it's always good to have a second opinion on those kinds of things. I'm sure he will be glad you care even if he hasn't explicitly asked."

The large teen yawned himself as he lay down. "I'll do that."

* * *

**End Notes**

* * *

Well, this ends a little short and it's not quite as exciting as previous chapters, but considering the next scene is the next day, I figured this was as good a place to stop as any. I admit nothing quite as mind blowing happens here as what happened in the last chapter, but it is all necessary set up with payoff you will all, hopefully, enjoy in the next chapter. And of course I managed to get another chapter in before the challenge started.

As you may have noticed, if the camera did not pick up what is going on (visually or audibly) then you won't know either. The footage is all the editors have after all. Who knows how much happens off screen...

As always read and review. And if you have a genuine criticism be it how the characters act or comments on pacing or something like that, please let me know. I appreciate all the positive feedback but I'm sure I'm making more mistakes than a couple spelling errors.


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